This was a mind game—
Farrell was calculating Li Wei's move; Li Wei was also calculating Farrell's.
In the blink of an eye, both players had shifted their centers of gravity several times and swayed, fake moves clashing against fake moves, each trying to dodge and capture the other. In an instant, they had exchanged the roles of aggressor and defender multiple times, the distance between them still closing, the air still heating up.
Here it came!
As the defensive player, Farrell had to strike first, to reverse his passive position and seize the initiative. A push off the ground, and his strong, hefty body was already thrown into motion.
However.
In that fleeting moment, Li Wei's figure flickered and stopped, braking abruptly without warning, completely controlling his body, hitting the pause button.
Brake!
Halt!
—Misalignment.