Xia Zeyu wandered around aimlessly all day and ate a remarkably delicious dish for dinner called spicy hot pot. After a single bite, he firmly resolved to stay in this world for his retirement.
It was now ten o’clock at night, and the streets were still bustling with activity. Standing on the prosperous street corner, he watched the various people passing by, feeling somewhat dazed.
In his original world, everyone had to lock their front doors tightly past eight o’clock in the evening. The deeper the night grew, the more unhinged those mutated monsters became, lingering until the sky grew faintly pale before scattering.
How should he put it? He had never even dreamed of such a wonderful scene.
“Bro, where are we heading to party tonight?”
“Where else? The usual spot to hunt for beauties, of course.”
“Tsk, eating meat every single night aren’t you afraid of dropping dead from a sudden cardiac arrest in bed?”
“What kind of nonsense are you saying? While we’re young, we’ve got to live it up and fully enjoy a rich nightlife.”
Nightlife?
Following the sound, Xia Zeyu spotted two men chatting inside a convertible not far away.
What did human nightlife look like in this era?
Seeing them about to start the car, Xia Zeyu hurriedly hailed a taxi and hopped in.
“Driver, follow that red convertible ahead.”
He had seen this method on the television at the restaurant while eating spicy hot pot. He had been thinking about trying it out himself back then, but he hadn’t expected the opportunity to arrive so soon.
He trailed the two men’s vehicle all the way until he was intercepted by security at the entrance of an underground parking garage. The driver made a wide detour to drop him off at the grand front entrance. Gazing up at the luxurious, palatial building before him, he couldn’t help letting out an exclamation of awe.
“Is this… the legendary nightclub?”
“Why’d you come to a place like this?” The driver’s tone carried a hint of disdain as he eyed Xia Zeyu through the rearview mirror. “You don’t look like a shady person either…”
Seeing Xia Zeyu push the door open to step out of the car, the driver hurriedly called out, “Hey! The fare is three hundred and forty-eight! Please settle the payment!”
“Oh, right, sure.”
Sigh, this ancient method of payment was a bit troublesome after all.
Xia Zeyu walked up to the main entrance. The moment his foot touched the first step, he was blocked by a man in a black suit.
“What kind of person are you? Do you have a VIP pass or an invitation?” The guard’s tone was deeply contemptuous.
And it was hard to blame him for the contempt, considering Xia Zeyu was currently wearing a wrinkled white T-shirt, a pair of dust-stained black sweatpants, and a mismatched pair of black slippers.
He had been too careless, he forgot to change into a proper outfit before heading out.
He pulled out a stack of cash and handed it to the guard.
“Is this enough for the toll?” Xia Zeyu asked politely.
The guard accepted the money and stepped aside to clear the path, though his tone remained disdainful: “Fine, fine. Seeing as you’re a new face, I’ll let you in to experience it. If you have a good time, you can apply for a VIP membership so coming in won’t be such a hassle next time.”
“Alright,” Xia Zeyu smiled indomitably. “Thank you.”
The moment Xia Zeyu stepped inside, his eardrums ached from the blasting sound system. The dazzling lights made him squint, and various scents emanated from the men and women on the dance floor. He covered his nose again, failing to understand the appeal of such a place.
He simply drifted with the crowd, walking and observing as he went, until a sudden burst of exclamation erupted from the masses.
“It’s starting! It’s starting!”
“Wisen is taking the stage!”
“I heard today is an open match several people are going to die again!”
Though he didn’t understand what they were shouting about, he tagged along with them anyway.
Xia Zeyu followed the crowd to a place resembling an underground passage. He wound through it several times, heading deeper and deeper underground where the lighting grew dimmer, and the fierce cheers echoing from behind the walls grew louder.
Finally reaching the end, he found two massive double doors. As the doors slowly opened, rows of seating came into view first, followed by the fighting ring positioned dead center.
An underground fighting arena.
Even three thousand years later, such places still existed—or rather, they were even more prevalent. Some people fought for money, some to vent their frustrations, and others purely to throw their lives away. As Earth withered day by day, they had already lost all hope in this world.
Seats didn’t appear to be assigned here, nor were tickets required; spectators were simply let in in batches. Xia Zeyu casually found an empty seat and sat down. The moment his backside hit the bench, a man’s agonizing, heart-wrenching scream rang out from the ring.
A blood-mangled man lay flat on the ground while another athletic, well-built man ground his heel down viciously onto the fallen man’s face, exerting so much force that the veins on his own calves bulged.
The man on the ground thudded about a few times, vomited a large mouthful of fresh blood, and passed out—or perhaps died.
“Wisen, wins!”
An eruption of cheers shook the spectator stands, and the victorious man looked immensely pleased with himself.
This Wisen was visually estimated to be 195 centimeters tall, with a sturdy, heavily muscled build and reasonably agile movements. His specific capabilities still required further observation.
The previous man was carried away without the blood stains on the floor even being wiped up, and the next challenger stepped right into the ring.
Without a word, a whistle blew, and the fight broke out.
Xia Zeyu fixed his complete, undivided attention on the movements inside the ring, breaking down Wisen’s actions step-by-step in an attempt to find weaknesses.
By the end of the match, he had roughly figured him out, and the challenging man was carried away as well.
“Anyone else want to challenge? You can sign up at any time! As long as you win, a six-million bonus will be distributed immediately!”
Six million?
An idea flashed in Xia Zeyu’s mind.
If he could earn one hundred million first, the system wouldn’t be able to hold that sum over his head even if he failed the mission.
As long as he earned enough money, even if he didn’t complete the mission, a deduction of one hundred million wouldn’t plunge him into a state of debt at worst, his balance would just reset to zero, and he could always start over from scratch. If he did complete the mission, another one hundred million would be added on top of his initial one hundred million.
He had three million from Tang Tang this morning, and if he banked another six million tonight, wouldn’t that mean he’d made nine million today? With millions pouring in daily, wouldn’t making one hundred million be a piece of cake?
He made up his mind: he was going to milk this underground fighting arena dry. No matter what Wisen, Wilin, or Wimu showed up, he was going to knock them all flat.
Xia Zeyu stood up and walked straight over to the registration desk.
There were only two people ahead of him in line both bearded, burly men. Seeing him walk up, they initially thought he was in the wrong place, but when he stepped right up to the registration counter and requested an application form, everyone was dumbfounded.
“If you want to commit suicide, go crawl off and die somewhere else. Don’t come here and cause us trouble,” the staff member snapped, trying to chase him off impatiently.
“I want to sign up,” Xia Zeyu said with a firm tone. “I’m going to win.”
“Hah,” the manager couldn’t help laughing derisively. “With those scrawny arms and legs of yours, Wisen could punch you into a hospital bed with a single finger.”
“Registration form, liability waiver hand them over.” Xia Zeyu didn’t want to waste breath on him.
“You’re the one marching to your death.”
The manager shoved the registration form and waiver across the counter. Xia Zeyu filled out his information and signed his name unhurriedly, then headed over to the waiting area.
Xia Zeyu thought he’d be able to close his eyes and rest during the wait, but he hadn’t expected the two burly men ahead of him to drop so fast; not even ten minutes had passed before it was his turn to take the stage.
He slipped off his slippers and stepped into the octagonal cage. The moment he appeared, an uproar swept through the arena.
Cameras zoomed in on his delicate, pretty face, broadcasting it live on the big screens.
Yet the audience wasn’t shocked by his looks; Wisen’s physical frame was triple the size of his, and yet he had the nerve to step up as a challenger?
Wisen looked over at the staff member and demanded, “What is the meaning of this?”
“This is the challenger for this round.”
Wisen fell silent for a few seconds, then burst into explosive laughter.
Xia Zeyu stared at him expressionlessly, waiting for him to finish laughing so they could start fighting right away.
“Pretty boy, hurry up and crawl back down! Spare me the embarrassment of people saying I’m bullying you!” Wisen taunted, flashing a middle finger.
There were no boxing gloves in these matches; combatants fought bare-fisted in hand-to-hand combat. Xia Zeyu assumed a ready stance with his fists up, his pale, slender wrists showing zero trace of physical power. Yet his gaze gradually grew ice-cold, radiating a surprising sense of oppression.
“Come on.”
A whistle blew, and the match began.
Wisen actually did nothing at all, simply crossing his arms over his chest and looking down at Xia Zeyu with arrogant disdain.
He was asking for it.
Xia Zeyu took two steps back. Instead of charging straight at Wisen, he bolted toward the side.
Just as everyone thought he was running away, he planted one foot against the iron mesh of the octagonal cage, followed quickly by the other. His steps across the wire were as steady as if he possessed qinggong. Taking a few firm strides up the mesh, he executed a semi-crouched launch, catapulting his entire body forward. Mid-air, he raised his leg, aiming his knee directly at Wisen’s face.
Wisen raised his hands to block, but the force behind Xia Zeyu’s strike rendered his defense completely useless. The moment the knee crashed into him, he heard a crisp “snap” come from his wrist, causing him to instinctively jerk his hand back. Taking advantage of the opening, Xia Zeyu straightened his leg and struck Wisen’s cheek directly with his shin. With just this single blow, the three-hundred-plus-pound giant was sent flying by the sheer momentum, slamming heavily against the iron mesh with a deafening “clank.”
The spectators fell silent for a few seconds before the arena exploded into chaos.
Ignoring the clamor, Xia Zeyu rushed forward to press the attack. He clamped one hand around Wisen’s throat, lifting him right off the ground, and raised his fist with his other hand, delivering three rapid, vicious blows straight into Wisen’s abdomen.
Wisen coughed weakly, and Xia Zeyu dropped him onto the floor without ceremony. The moment he hit the ground, spit, vomit, and fresh blood erupted simultaneously from Wisen’s mouth. Unable to stomach the stench, Xia Zeyu wanted to finish this quickly.
Thus, he retreated once more, charged forward, leaped into the air utilizing his momentum, and brought his weight crashing down heavily onto Wisen’s back.
“Ah—!”
Wisen let out a shriek more miserable than any other heard that night, twitched once, tilted his head, and passed out cold.
Xia Zeyu slowly straightened up, wiped the sweat from his face with the back of his hand, and turned to ask the referee, “Does this count as a win?”
The referee’s eyes widened and his jaw hung slack in disbelief. It took him a moment to recover before he scrambled frantically over to check Wisen’s condition, his hands trembling with fear.
“I-I’ll be damned… less than a minute…”
Stepping away from Wisen, Xia Zeyu repeated his question: “Did I win? Or do I have to kill him?”
In a peaceful era, he had no desire to commit murder.
The referee took a deep breath, grabbed Xia Zeyu’s hand, and shouted excitedly into the mic, “2895, wins!”
2895 was the serial number of Xia Zeyu’s mecha. Since he couldn’t wear it anymore in this life, he’d use it to commemorate the past instead.
The entire arena plunged into disarray, curses drowning out cheers because nearly everyone had placed their bets on Wisen.
“Did the organizers hire him just to stage this act? Refund our money!”
“I don’t believe this pretty boy is that strong! It has to be fake!”
Xia Zeyu sighed, then reached out and grabbed the metal door panel of the octagonal cage. Using only one hand, he forcefully ripped the door panel right off its frame, smashed it with a single punch until it warped out of shape, and then kicked it to fold it neatly in half.
The noise from the audience subsided considerably.
Xia Zeyu tossed the warped door panel aside, raised his head, and announced loudly, “You are welcome to inspect or challenge me anytime. I’ll be coming here often.”
With that, he stepped down the stairs and headed backstage to collect his paycheck.
High up in the VIP suite overlooking the arena, a one-way floor-to-ceiling window offered a full view of the fighting ring below, as well as the youthful, slightly naive face displayed on the big screen.
A man lounged casually on the leather sofa, his long legs crossed. Though clad in a tailored, form-fitting suit, his posture remained relaxed and easygoing as he gently swirled a glass of red wine in his left hand, slightly lifting his other hand and flicking his fingers. The assistant standing behind him immediately hurried to his side.
“President Fu, is there something you need?”
“This young man is rather interesting,” the man chuckled softly, though his tone carried a hint of chill. “Run a background check on him.”
“Right, understood.”
“You may step outside first.”
Once the assistant retreated, the man set his wine glass down, stood up, and walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window. Gazing at Xia Zeyu’s face on the screen, he traced his fingertip lightly through the air a wisp of azure flame materialized out of thin air before vanishing in a flash.
“Are you, too, a monster like me?”