Cosmic Demon

Chapter 30: Winning the Bet, Before the Storm

Brother Ze called me?

Qin Shi's heart skipped a beat. He still remembered that the boss of Beiguan Street had asked him if he was Lao Liang's apprentice.

"Disciple, not student. It seems that Brother Ze knows the rules of the old martial arts very well."

He pondered as he went up the stairs to the second floor, and the boxer who was lazily guarding the stairs stepped aside to let him pass.

Pushing open the door of the private room, Brother Ze was standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, wearing a floral shirt and jeans with the top button unbuttoned. He was holding a square wine glass in his hand with his lips tightly pursed.

Compared to the capable head horse working for the big boss, his whole temperament is more like a boxer from Beiguan Street.

Strong, sharp and aggressive!
"Hour, come here."

Cheng Ze waved his hand with a friendly attitude.

“The big show has begun.”

Qin Shi deliberately lagged behind by one step and did not walk side by side with Ze Ge.

His eyelids twitched, and he pressed his button to activate his inner vision and take the risk of spying on the boss's strength.

A small breakthrough does not count as an opening, but it can be used to score points.

Just by listening to Ze Ge's breathing rhythm, one can detect that his breath is overly steady.

It's very light and faint, almost imperceptible if you don't listen carefully.

At the same time, it is soothing and gentle, as if you are in a completely relaxed state.

“Very fierce!”

Qin Shi commented that Ze Ge's vitality level and personal strength were definitely not low.

"That makes sense. In a place like Jiuchang Street, you can't become the boss just by talking sense or hanging around the boss."

"Who do you think is better between the two people in the octagon?"

Cheng Ze raised the hand holding the wine glass and pointed downwards.

Black Ronnie and the Bitter Monk have entered the venue. The former raised his hands high, like a boxing champion, asking for applause and cheers. He also performed a series of tricks such as crushing watermelons and denting steel plates.

The ascetic monk closed his eyes and rested, as if in a trance. He was unaware of the movements of the outside world. With his white turban and linen robe on, he looked extremely mysterious.

"Brother Yuan told me that they are not real fighters."

Qin Shi maintained the character of an honest child.

He was just a working waiter and had no intention of joining a gang with a gangster boss.

This good opportunity to show oneself should be given to Brother Yuan and Brother Cheng.

"Although they are hired actors rather than real boxers, the audience who pay to watch the show are neither stupid nor blind. If it were really two ordinary people making a martial arts film, they would not be willing to buy it."

Cheng Ze laughed, and then explained:

"They all received injections before going on the field, which would dull their perception of pain and make them more excited.

The concentration of adrenaline in the bitter monk is now several times higher than that of an ordinary person, allowing him to burst out with greater power than usual."

Too hard!
The corners of Qin Shi's mouth twitched. This kind of injection was more harmful to the body than the old martial arts. It was even possible that he would die suddenly on the stage due to excessive excitement.

"You can earn 30,000 yuan for one fight."

Cheng Ze added.

Qin Shi immediately felt relieved.

Putting aside the high-risk gray industries and shady businesses, the average salary in Jiuchang Street is around 3,000 yuan, and most of the work is hard labor.

Just by fighting a boxing match, you can earn a lot of money that others would work hard for half a year.

Good deal!
As for possible injuries and harm to the body, these factors are never taken into consideration at the bottom level.

"The bitter monk should be able to win."

Qin Shi looked carefully at the two people who had not yet started fighting, and gave a cautious answer.

"why?"

Cheng Ze raised his eyebrows.

"Heironi is stronger and bigger, and he is not afraid of pain. The bitter monks can't hurt him."

Qin Shi spoke clearly and slowly:
"Because of this, he has a heavier burden and consumes energy faster. The overly enlarged muscles restrict Heironi's movements and slow his reaction. Every time he punches, runs, and sprints, he is squeezing his heart and lungs.

On the contrary, the bitter monk is more flexible and he knows how to wear down his opponent. "

Cheng Ze raised his head and drank the amber wine, praising:

"You are very good at observing details and judging strengths and weaknesses, but you have overlooked something more important."

Qin Shi frowned, his eyes fixed on the octagonal cage where the battle was fierce.

As he expected, Heironi attacked fiercely at the beginning, like a thick city wall, constantly squeezing out space and forcing the bitter monk into a dead end several times.

But the poor monk was as slippery as a mouse and always managed to escape, causing exclamations from the audience.

When the timer reached about eight minutes, Heilongji, the angry bull, was so tired that he was panting and his steps were heavy.

The ascetic monk was like an ancient bullfighter, using a piece of red cloth to make Heroni spin around, occasionally hitting him under the ribs or kicking him in the knee.

Finally, at 8 minutes and 47 seconds, the bitter monk used a sweeping kick to knock Hei Ronnie to the ground, and then took advantage of the victory to attack his vital points several times in a row.

Finally, he stomped on his forehead with great force, causing it to bleed and he fainted.

The audience who bet on Black Ronaldo to win were greatly upset, and there were sporadic noises of cups breaking.

The lucky ones who won the Suha monk's prize were cheering.

But before the referee could announce the result and take off his white turban, the smug monk suddenly felt his ankle tighten and then he was pulled down.

As the back of his head hit the ground, a pair of large hands like a palm-leaf fan grabbed his neck, lifted him up with force, and then smashed him down hard!

Boom! Boom! Boom——

After a few dull thuds, the miserable monk fainted completely, with blood flowing from his ears and mouth, looking miserable.

"Heironi! Let's shout Heironi's name! He is the winner of this game!"

The host's enthusiastic roar once again echoed throughout the hall through the microphone.

The sudden change caused the entire audience to fall into silence for a second or two.

Then, there was a huge wave of noise that was even more enthusiastic than before!

All the customers who bought Black Ronnie stood up, tightly grasped the tickets issued by Midnight Palace, and were eager to exchange them for cash!
"Fake match?"

This thought popped into Qin Shi’s head.

"There is no collusion. It's just that Xiao Yu didn't tell the bitter monk that he also gave Heiloni an injection of a slow-acting central nervous system stimulant. This way the performance can be realistic and the guests can enjoy it."

Cheng Ze put down his glass:

"Unexpected surprises are certainly exciting, but unexpected twists and reasonable counterattacks are more memorable to the audience."

Qin Shi remained silent. It turned out that Brother Ze had gone from being a gangster who used to hang out in the game hall on Jiuchang Street to being the most famous gangster on Beiguan Street. It turned out that he did not rely on just his fists.

"To be a gangster, you really need to use your brain, otherwise you will be a 'plane' for the rest of your life."

The bitter monk was dragged out of the octagonal cage and put on a stretcher, probably with some kind of injury like a severe concussion.

Heironi's body was also shaking, and his sternum and ribs were broken in many places.

But the audience didn't care and was just immersed in carnival or regret.

Qin Shi watched this scene, and Cheng Ze beside him said:

"I want to make a lot of money in Old Factory Street, but I don't have the ability. That's it. I have to risk my life."

Qin Shi keenly sensed something strange. As the behind-the-scenes manager of the Midnight Palace and the person in charge of Beiguan Street, there was no need for Brother Ze to be open-hearted and build a relationship with him.

But after he entered the private room, Cheng Ze always consciously dominated the topic.

"Brother Ze wants to take me in as his younger brother?"

Qin Shi's eyelids drooped.

His future goals are the Dan exam, a Budoka certificate, and a top school.

I have no interest in joining any society or competing for the dragon head stick.

"Ashi, I heard from Ayuan that you have outstanding physical talents and have made rapid progress in your martial arts training.

How about it, do you want to follow me and do things?"

As expected, Cheng Ze asked this question.

"Brother Ze, I'm a student."

It was difficult to do so during the Qin Dynasty.

"I promised my elder sister that I would study hard and go to college."

Cheng Ze didn't seem surprised, but his tone was regretful:
"Sorry, I was drunk and confused, don't take it to heart.

You're a boxer because you have a miserable life. Listen to your elder sister and get into a good university. That's better than anything else."

He shook his head and looked at the cleaned and slowly lowered octagonal cage:
"That was just a warm-up. This is the real underground fight."

Two-thirds of the guests in the hall left, and those who won or lost the bet left.

Only a few regular customers who are VIP users were left and were led by the waiters to the "dog fighting arena" on the underground floor.

"What a dazzling body strength."

Qin Shi followed Ze Ge down the stairs, and two carefully trained fighters appeared in front of him.

This time, he took a quick peek using his inner vision. The red and white colors were very bright, like a fiercely burning torch.

"They fight for 70,000 per match."

Cheng Ze said in a low voice, and then turned to the two boxers who were willing to be fighters.

"You two were chosen by drawing lots for life and death. According to the old rules, whoever falls on the ring will have his parents and family taken care of by me, and the Yiquan Society will also pay for the resettlement expenses."

"Got it, Brother Ze!"

"Thank you, Ze-ge!"

The boxers, who were all around 25 or 26 years old, had determined looks in their eyes and were not afraid of the brutal life-and-death fight that was about to happen.

"Go."

Cheng Ze waved his hand in disinterest and did not enter the underground floor to watch the gladiators fighting.

He sat alone in the empty hall, asked Qin Shi to bring a bottle of strong liquor, and drank one glass after another.

About forty minutes later, the guests, having had enough of the view, returned upstairs and were sent out of the Midnight Palace by the manager.

"Aze, your two little brothers are so brave and desperate! One was blinded but still stood up; the other one was even more amazing, biting his opponent's throat with his teeth!"

The tall and thin man wearing gold-rimmed glasses came up to Cheng Ze and said excitedly:
"The big bosses in Yancheng had a great time watching the show and were very satisfied with my hospitality. We will discuss how to invest in and set up a fight club. It should be a sure thing!
I have only heard before that the brothers from your Yiquan Society are all brave and good at fighting. Today I finally saw it.

With them here, the club will definitely be able to hold up in the early stages!"

Cheng Ze lowered his head and his expression could not be seen clearly:

"Brother Luo, we are all brothers in the Yiquan Club. For things like life-and-death duels, let's find some outsiders in the future..."

The tall, thin man with gold-rimmed glasses froze, and said with a fake smile:

"It's not like Brother Hao didn't give us money to settle down. For those of you who are out there, it doesn't matter if you are brothers or not. As long as you can make money, that's all.

Later I also plan to get a few surgically modified killer dogs from the urban area and have a human-dog war!
If you ask me, Aze, you were too lenient in managing the Yiquan Club in the past.

I checked the accounts a while ago, and found so many useless people who are just doing nothing.

There are people with limps, broken arms, and illnesses... the annual expenses are huge.

Ah Ze, it's not wrong for you to value friendship, but it's wrong to use Brother Hao's money to support your brothers."

Qin Shi, who seemed to be an unknown person, noticed the tense atmosphere and quietly looked at Cheng Ze who seemed to be drunk.

In his perception, Ze Ge's breathing was always very light and shallow.

The stable fluctuation curve suddenly rose, creating a huge gap in an instant.

It was like a raging wave on the calm sea, it was terrifying!

After a moment of silence, Cheng Ze looked up at the tall and thin man with gold-rimmed glasses:
"Brother Luo, they have all contributed to the Righteous Fist Club. Just give me some face by taking care of them."

The tall and thin man holds the frame:

“Aze, it’s difficult for me to handle this, after all, the Yiquan Club and the club are all Brother Hao’s business.

How about this, you find a chance to talk to Brother Hao and see if he agrees."

Then he left with his bodyguards and driver.

Cheng Ze pursed his lips and suddenly smiled at Qin Shi:

"Ashi, your sister is right, study hard and don't be a bad boy.

There are many bad boys in Jiuchang Street, their lives are cheap and they have no future. "

(End of this chapter)