Infinity, The Arcade Age-Chapter 322: The True Strong One

At the police station entrance, Mayor Mike Haggar and Qin Ming met once again.

After swiftly returning the mayor's daughter, Qin Ming shook hands with him with a serious expression.

Mayor Mike Haggar, however, remained expressionless as he glanced at his daughter. Rather than looking frightened after her ordeal, she even winked playfully at Qin Ming. His brows furrowed at the sight.

Cody and Maki Genryusai's sudden disappearance yesterday had immediately made him realize something was wrong.

And now, with Qin Ming appearing right on schedule, it was clear to him—Cody, with his reckless nature, was likely already dead.

A monster capable of taking down the entire Mad Gear Gang alone... Cody had never stood a chance.

Seeking revenge now was no different from throwing their lives away.

"Mr. Mayor, this means we've officially reached an agreement, right?"

"I suppose so."

"Then from now on, if you need anything, just say the word. I'll follow your orders."

"Even if I tell you to shut down your... special businesses?"

Mayor Mike Haggar's words made Qin Ming pause. After a brief silence, he turned to exchange a glance with Jessica, then suddenly raised an eyebrow.

"Yes. Even if it means shutting them down. From now on, in this city, you call the shots."

Qin Ming's subtle interaction with his daughter did not escape the mayor's keen eyes. His gaze grew strange as he took a deep look at Jessica.

It seemed he needed to have a talk with his precious daughter later.

As the car door closed, Mayor Mike Haggar quickly drove off with Jessica, leaving Qin Ming standing there with his hands in his pockets, watching them leave with a blank expression.

He had done all he could. Whether the mayor would truly abandon his stance against the Mad Gear Gang and cooperate with them to complete the difficult hidden quest...

That was up to Jessica now. If she could convince her father, it would determine the final outcome of the hidden mission.

Qin Ming quickly retracted his gaze and turned away, stretching as he walked.

Killing Mayor Haggar wasn't an option—he still needed him to complete the quest.

That meant there weren't many targets left in Metro City.

There was still some time before the mission ended. Should he go back and continue messing with Kasamoto Eri and Maki Genryusai? But that woman had already become docile—there was barely any reaction anymore.

Maybe he should try seducing Poison instead? She was his subordinate anyway, and he had nothing better to do.

He was actually curious—was the legend true? Could she really ruin a martial artist's physique in just a month?

The thought of Poison's infamous reputation made Qin Ming smirk.

But as he was grinning, his steps suddenly halted, his body freezing in place.

His eyes narrowed, sharp and alert. After a brief silence, he spoke in a cold voice.

"Who's there? Come out!"

The moment he spoke, footsteps echoed behind him.

The next second, a towering old man with white hair slowly emerged from the corner.

Dressed in a plain gray martial arts uniform, with a thick hemp rope tied around his waist and a receding hairline, the old man stood expressionlessly behind Qin Ming. After giving him a once-over, he finally spoke in a deep, serious tone.

"You've made a mistake in your training, young man."

Qin Ming swiftly turned around. As he did, he took out his signature dinosaur sunglasses and put them on, grinning.

"And who might you be, old man? Showing up out of nowhere and critiquing me like this?"

To Qin Ming, this was nothing but a joke.

His power didn't even come from this world. Of course, to someone from this world, it might look like there was a "mistake" in his training. They'd never seen anything like it before, after all.

As he put on the sunglasses, he activated his scanning ability.

But in the next instant, instead of revealing the old man's stats, the sunglasses cracked with a sharp snap, spiderweb fractures spreading across the lenses.

Qin Ming's eyes widened in shock, his expression as if he had just seen a ghost.

Meanwhile, the white-haired old man furrowed his brows slightly.

"You're not just making mistakes in your training," the old man said. "You also lack proper manners. Peering into someone's energy fluctuations without permission is extremely rude. I suggest you don't do that again."

Hearing this, Qin Ming yanked off his shattered sunglasses, his face turning serious.

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"Who the hell are you?"

For someone to not only block his ability but also shatter his sunglasses with just their aura... This was an entirely different level of monster.

It was the first time Qin Ming had ever encountered someone like this.

There was no doubt about it—he was facing a true top-tier expert!

Hearing Qin Ming's question, the old man remained expressionless. Hands at his sides, he spoke in a deep, calm voice.

"Maki Genryusai is the daughter of an old friend of mine. Would you be willing to release her on my account? I can sense that she's still alive."

"You think you can just ask, and I'll let her go?"

"Consider it a favor. In return, I'll guide you on correcting your flawed training. Otherwise, you will succumb to madness."

"Madness? I already am mad!"

The moment he finished speaking, Qin Ming clenched his fists, channeling his energy into his hands.

The moment his words fell, Qin Ming had already gathered energy in both hands, forming them into tiger claws before launching a Tyrant Roaring Fist!

A massive crimson energy blast shot toward the white-haired elder, causing his brows to furrow. Unexpectedly, the old man also formed tiger claws with his hands and began gathering power at his waist.

As the energy converged, he released an energy sphere of his own!

However, his energy sphere was quite small, resembling a Tiger Roar Fist in size.

Yet, as the two attacks collided, Qin Ming's Tyrant Roaring Fist was instantly torn apart. In the next second, the energy sphere continued forward without slowing, striking Qin Ming square in the chest and blasting him away!

Rolling across the ground, he dug his fingers into the earth, skidding for more than ten meters before barely managing to stop. He abruptly lifted his head, his face filled with shock.

That tiny energy blast had almost seriously injured him!

"Who the hell are you?!"

"Young man, I can sense an immense power within you. The strength in your blood is formidable, but also extremely violent. Tell me, are you controlling it, or is it controlling you?"

Facing the white-haired, muscular elder, who was reprimanding him instead of answering his question, Qin Ming roared in fury and slammed his fist into the ground.

Mimicry—Energy Fountain!

Boom!

A surge of blood shot toward the old man, but before it could erupt at his feet, he stomped down hard, using his inner energy to completely disperse it.

Seeing his skill shattered midway, veins bulged on Qin Ming's forehead. He suddenly dashed forward, dragging a trail of bloodlight as he charged at the elder.

Skill—Heaven Glide!

Watching Qin Ming's high-speed approach, the old man shook his head.

"The stronger the power, the more it affects your mind. You've already become a slave to it—your brutality, your bloodthirst, your madness are all the price you pay for wielding this strength! Are you still yourself?!"

As Qin Ming closed in, blood dripping from his hands, reaching to strike, the elder's arm suddenly flashed with white light.

In the next second, he executed a powerful uppercut.

"Wake up!"

Skill—Rising Dragon Fist!

Bang!

The elder's iron fist, wrapped in surging energy, directly shattered Qin Ming's skill, completely ignoring its super armor effect. The punch struck Qin Ming's chin with brutal force.

The next moment, a violent shockwave spread outward, blasting away everything around them! Even the parked cars on both sides skidded backward!

Qin Ming's face contorted in pain as he was launched several meters into the air, before crashing heavily to the ground.

The one-punch battle was over. The elder stood amidst the cleared area, where everything within dozens of meters had been blown away by his sheer aura. He landed and flicked his arm with force.

Looking at Qin Ming, who lay motionless on the ground, he shook his head.

"Why are you all so obsessed with power you cannot control? He was like this. And now, so are you."

Turning to leave with large strides, the elder continued speaking as he walked away.

"If you want to learn how to control that power, come find me at this address. I'll try to teach you. But if you don't, and you remain a slave to this power, then next time we meet—I'll kill you! This world doesn't need another Akuma!"

Hearing this, Qin Ming watched as a card floated down beside him. Blood streamed from his mouth as he struggled to stand.

With blood dripping from his lips, he spoke hoarsely.

"Who... the hell... are you?!"

The white-haired elder suddenly halted his steps.

After a long silence, he slightly turned his head and said,

"I am the current master of Ansatsuken—Gouken!"

With that, the burly man turned and left, vanishing from Qin Ming's sight.

Watching him disappear, Qin Ming's knee buckled, and he fell to the ground, vomiting a mouthful of blood.

Just one punch.

Just one punch, and all his internal organs had been completely shattered, leaving him critically wounded!

The last time he suffered injuries this severe was when he was hit directly by Ghost Flame's Sunlight Radiance skill!

A single punch with the power of an S-rank skill? What kind of monster was this?!

Gouken... Ansatsuken...

The most powerful martial arts style in the Street Fighter world—the very school that trained the protagonist, Ryu!

And he... was the master of Ken and Ryu!

A martial arts legend who could go toe-to-toe with Akuma without falling behind!

In the King of Fighters universe, he would be on par with the Eight Hakkesshu leader, Goenitz, a top-tier boss in the ultimate storyline—just one step below the gods themselves!

Lying on the ground, bracing against the earth, Qin Ming gritted his teeth in pain as waves of agony pulsed through his body.

For a normal person, this level of injury would be crippling. With all his internal organs destroyed, even the strongest martial artists would be left disabled.

But Qin Ming was different. Not only had his body been datafied, but his eerie S-rank skill—Blood Absorption allowed him to recover from any injury rapidly.

And that was what scared him the most.

The fact that Gouken had beaten him this badly, yet still told him to seek him out, meant that he had seen through this ability!

The old man knew he could recover from any injury.

He did this on purpose!

"Gouken... Martial Arts Grandmaster... Heh... Ha... Hahahahahaha! Old bastard... now this is getting interesting!"

Wiping the blood from his lips, Qin Ming drained more of his own blood to restore his body, then struggled to his feet.

His body shrank slightly due to the blood loss. He cast one last glance in the direction Gouken had left before turning away, his expression grave.

And after he finally disappeared into the distance—

Behind a corner, Gouken, leaning against the wall, slowly opened his eyes.

"What an absolutely terrifying power..."

(End of Chapter)