You, a living person, are telling me I've served in the underworld for ten years?

"I have my own reasons!"
He's got some skills, just inexperienced! We need to squeeze every last drop of juice out of him! Get it arranged now! No more nonsense!

He didn't give the other party any further chance to question him.

Tiger Head Zhang shrugged dejectedly, stopped trying to persuade him, and waved for his assistant to hurry up with the scheduling.

Just as they were waiting, Chen Yang, who played "Old Zhang," was pushed and shoved closer to the octagonal cage, where he witnessed two real "warm-up matches."

The so-called "warm-up" is nothing more than a more naked and primitive rehearsal for the actual competition.

There weren't many rules, only the most basic bottom line of "no one dies"—serious injuries and disabilities were commonplace! What made him even more "terrified" was that after the two seemingly fierce and strong boxers reached a stalemate, they both secretly injected themselves with a small syringe hidden in their wristbands or waistbands!

Within ten seconds of the liquid being injected into their bodies, their eyes instantly filled with a sickly crimson! Their muscles swelled up terrifyingly as if inflated, and the veins under their skin bulged like coiled venomous snakes, even faintly gleaming with an abnormal coppery sheen!

His strength and speed suddenly increased to a whole new level, and his attacks became chaotic yet ferocious. Every strike was accompanied by a tooth-grinding thud and a splatter of blood!

"monster!"

Chen Yang heard an old gambler next to him mutter excited curses.

"See that? If you want to live, don't fucking hold back!"

Wang Shengxiong leaned closer to Chen Yang, his deep, threatening voice penetrating his eardrums, carrying a strong smell of smoke.

"There's no such thing as fairness here! Only winning and losing! Only life and death! Remember, your opponent will not be merciful to you! Three minutes! Stand there for three minutes! Even if you have to crawl, you have to make it through!"

He coldly reiterated the order, his eyes like those of a butcher staring at a sacrificial offering.

Chen Yang, playing Old Zhang, looked even paler, his body trembling more violently, making meaningless "hoarse" sounds in his throat, nodding his head more forcefully, the fear in his eyes almost tangible. Yet, his heart remained calm.

Sure enough, this place was one of the testing grounds and money laundering points for the Heavenly Alliance's drug distribution.

Soon, an assistant squeezed through the crowd, made a gesture to Tiger Head Zhang, and then pointed at Chen Yang.

"Tiger Head Bro!"

"The second cage over there! It's his turn! Against 'The Ripper' Marvin!"

The iron cage door opened, and Chen Yang was roughly pushed inside.

The iron cage door slammed shut, the chilling click sound like a final death knell! From behind the iron gate opposite, a man nearly two meters tall, with an almost impossibly thick neck, covered in old knife scars, and with eyes as cruel as a hungry wolf, slowly emerged—it was none other than Marvin the Ripper!
He licked his chapped lips, staring at Chen Yang as if he were looking at meat on a chopping board.

when--!
The piercing ringing of the bell is the battle horn!
"Ow!"

Without any probing, Marvin charged forward with a beastly roar! His large, fan-like hands opened wide, his ten fingers like hooks, aiming straight for Chen Yang's throat and shoulders! The movement was swift and fierce, creating a gust of evil wind!
Countless eyes instantly focused on the inconspicuous little octagonal cage in the corner! Most of them had a bloodthirsty excitement in their eyes, waiting for this timid middle-aged man to be torn to pieces in an instant!

Chen Yang moved! Amidst countless gasps, he didn't choose to take the hit head-on, but instead did a clumsy, lazy roll! His posture was extremely awkward, narrowly avoiding Marvin's iron claws! His movements were clumsy and slow, filled with the panic of fleeing for his life.

He didn't even have a chance to stand properly, and after tumbling, he crashed into the cold iron fence, causing the fence to shake violently!
"Well done! Marvin! Tear him apart!"

"Get out of my way! You're blocking my betting!"

"Useless trash! What are you hiding for!"

All sorts of shouts and curses came from all directions.

Marvin's attack missed, and he was clearly surprised. He then let out an even more ferocious growl and pounced again! Chen Yang, who played "Old Zhang," appeared flustered and completely abandoned the attack, only making various extremely difficult and embarrassing blocking and dodging movements.

His steps were erratic, and after each block, his body would slam back against the iron cage with exaggerated thuds, his face showing a look of terrified pain.

He seemed terrified, occasionally mustering the courage to throw a punch or kick in a moment of desperation. Although the angle was not bad, the force seemed weak and powerless in the eyes of an expert. It couldn't even touch Marvin's core area, and it was more like a desperate, random scratch.

After a seemingly successful sidestep to dodge Marvin's heavy punch.

"Old Zhang" tried to get around to Marvin's side.

A cruel glint flashed in "The Ripper's" eyes, and his reaction speed was superhuman. He unleashed a vicious scorpion tail spinning kick, sending a gust of wind through the air! Chen Yang seemed to be a beat slower in his dodge due to "exhaustion"!
puff!
The kick landed squarely on his ribs!
"Ugh—!"

A piercing scream erupted from "Old Zhang's" mouth.

He was thrown through the air as if he had been hit by the side of a speeding truck! His body slammed heavily against the bars of the iron cage, bounced off, and fell onto the cold, hard metal surface!

He curled up in pain, clutching the spot where he had been kicked, his body trembling violently, and a trickle of bright red blood even seeped from the corner of his mouth! He looked utterly miserable, as if he was about to faint at any moment, and his breathing became extremely weak.

"Okay! Marvin! Let's do it!"

"Kill him! He's too weak!"

"Useless crap! Just end this already! It's making me sleepy!"

"My money..."

A huge chorus of boos and curses surged toward "Old Zhang" lying on the ground.

The onlookers were disgusted by his unwatchable dodging "performance".

Wang Shengxiong watched from the crowded scene, his expression changing from initial confidence to gloom and impatience. He even swore.

Time passed by, second by second.

Marvin had clearly lost his patience. He grinned as he approached, ready to deliver the final blow to the "crawler" that had wasted his time!
when!when!when!
Just then, the urgent bell that signaled the end of the three-minute warm-up rang out like a lifesaver!

Marvin abruptly stopped, spat a mouthful of phlegm on the ground, and cursed.

"You're lucky, you bastard!"

His eyes were filled with a violent resentment at being interrupted by the ringing of the bell.

The assistants outside the cage rushed in and forcibly lifted Chen Yang, who was "on the verge of death" and "almost unable to stand on his own," and dragged him out of the iron cage.

He was covered in bloodstains and dust, and his cheap vest was soaked with sweat mixed with barely perceptible bloodstains. He was slumped on his two assistants, his eyes unfocused, and he was panting heavily. He was almost completely carried to Wang Shengxiong.

"Damn it! Useless! I told you to hold on for three minutes, not to crawl like a dead dog for three minutes!" Wang Shengxiong's face showed no concern, only extreme displeasure and disgust. Looking at Chen Yang's miserable and weak appearance, he felt that although this guy had survived by luck, he was still a useless piece of trash at heart!
This kind of person is good enough to scare the low-level thugs; he's utterly useless!

"I...I'm sorry...Brother Wang..."

Chen Yang struggled to squeeze out a sentence, his voice hoarse and extremely weak, his eyes filled with the terror and lingering fear of surviving a disaster.

"I...I...have never fought...this kind of thing...it can really...kill people..."

My body was still trembling slightly from the "severe pain" and "fear".

Seeing Chen Yang's genuine fear and cowardice, Wang Shengxiong felt his anger subside somewhat—at least he had initially achieved his goal of "forcing him to bleed," proving that the other party had some willpower but ultimately lacked courage.

He waved his hand dismissively.

Go away and catch your breath!

However, things took a turn for the better in the next two warm-up matches!
Perhaps it was Chen Yang's seemingly disastrous "performance," which relied entirely on luck to survive for three minutes, that led the bookmaker to lower his odds, thus giving Wang Shengxiong an unexpected opportunity to "pick up a bargain."

In the next two matches, the opponents he arranged for Chen Yang were weaker and weaker! They were almost all simple-minded brutes like Marvin, who relied on drugs and instincts and had crude fighting skills!

Chen Yang took the "perilous situation" performance to the extreme!

Each time, he "barely" managed to withstand his opponent's ferocious attacks in an extremely disheveled manner! He was hit! He was knocked away! He rolled around in the cage and on the ground! There was even a time when his opponent grabbed him by the neck.

He managed to escape by "luckily" kicking his knee into the opponent's groin... Each time, he looked battered and bruised, as if the next punch could knock him down forever! Each time, he was "saved" by the sound of the bell!
But what happened? He made it through! Every single time, he held on until the final three-minute bell rang!

Moreover, because his odds became extremely low after his crushing defeat in the first game, Wang Shengxiong placed heavy bets in the opposite direction in the next two games, betting that he would "survive for three minutes without dying, being crippled, or surrendering," and surprisingly made a fortune!
"Hahahaha! Damn! What great luck! Old Zhang, you're something else! You may be a good-for-nothing, but you're fucking tough!"

Wang Shengxiong, clutching a thick wad of winning banknotes, forcefully patted Chen Yang's "weak" shoulder. The gloom from before vanished, replaced by the excited smile of a gambler.

"Come on! Let's go back and get you some medicine! Next time, I'll need your 'punching bag' skills to make money for me!"

Seeing Wang Shengxiong try to leave after winning money, a shadow of gloom and resentment flashed across Tiger Head Zhang's fat face.

He took a few steps closer, a fake smile plastered on his face, and stood in front of Wang Shengxiong.

"Brother Xiong!"
"Leaving already? You're having such good luck tonight, aren't you going to play a couple more big rounds?"

"What? You won money but won't let me leave? Want to invite me to sit for a while?"

Wang Shengxiong glanced at him sideways, his tone still carrying a smile, but his eyes were cold and amused.

"Hehe, Xiong-ge, what you're saying... is just..."

Tiger Head Zhang rubbed his hands together and lowered his voice.

"Tomorrow night... a few experts are coming over to have some fun tomorrow night, it'll be a rare sight! The bounty pool is this amount!"

He gestured a huge number, a greedy glint in his eyes.

"Why don't you... bring this old Zhang brother over again tomorrow night to support us? Maybe we can win another big sum!"

Wang Shengxiong squinted, scrutinizing Hu Tou Zhang's expression, then glanced at "Old Zhang" beside him who was "still in great pain." After a few seconds of contemplation, he let out an even louder laugh, tinged with a calculating tone.

"Haha! An expert? Interesting! Alright! Tiger Head Zhang, you keep your word! With an expert supporting us, I, Wang Shengxiong, will definitely join in the fun! See you tomorrow night!"

Without further ado, he led Chen Yang through the crowded throng and swaggered toward the elevator.

The elevator slowly ascended, gradually isolating the frenzied noise and pungent smell of blood from the underground.

The roads in the suburbs are far less bustling and bright than those in the city. Under Wang Shengxiong's control, the SUV, like an old horse that knows the way well, navigates through the gaps in light and shadow cut by the dim streetlights.

The atmosphere inside the car was a little strange.

Wang Shengxiong was still immersed in the thrill of winning money. While holding the steering wheel with one hand, he talked animatedly about how he had "brilliantly" bet on the right horse that night, using Lao Zhang, the "meat target," in the "cutting edge."

Sitting in the passenger seat, Chen Yang still maintained a listless state of "multiple aches and pains," "lack of energy," and "still shaken," clutching his ribs and occasionally "taking a deep breath."

However, although his eyes were lowered, the corners of his eyes, like the most sophisticated radar, silently scanned the rearview mirror.

Just as they rounded a deserted bend and entered a road on the edge of an abandoned industrial area surrounded by sparse camphor trees, several blinding headlights suddenly appeared in the mirror from the dark side road behind them, like the eyes of a lurking beast!

It wasn't by chance that I followed along!
Without the slightest hesitation, these headlights accelerated and merged into the main road after they turned, quickly closing the distance! Four... six... eight! All of them were heavily modified off-road vehicles with huge tires and raised chassis!
The engine emitted a deep, guttural roar characteristic of its modified design, like a pack of wolves spotting their prey! The other party clearly made no attempt to conceal their intention to track them!
"Brother Xiong!"

Chen Yang suddenly looked up, his voice carrying a deliberate urgency and tension.

"There are so many cars chasing us from behind! Something's wrong!"

Wang Shengxiong was speaking excitedly when he heard this and was stunned. He immediately looked in the rearview mirror.

When he saw the SUVs charging towards him like a pack of hyenas, his smile froze instantly, replaced by unbelievable rage and ferocity.

"Fuck him! It's Tiger Head Zhang!"

It must be that sore loser, that fat pig!

He slammed his hand on the steering wheel, blasting the horn with a piercing horn blare, like the roar of an angry beast.

"You think you can resort to dirty tricks after losing money?! Damn it! You dare mess with me, Wang Shengxiong? You're asking for trouble!"

Boom! Boom! Roar—!
His response was the undisguised roar of the modified SUV behind him! The speed suddenly increased! Like several black lightning bolts, it fiercely surrounded him from both sides, intending to squeeze Wang Shengxiong's vehicle to the side of the road!

"Damn it!"

Wang Shengxiong cursed angrily, his eyes flashing with a fierce light!

He slammed on the gas, the black SUV's engine roaring in agony as it accelerated wildly on the narrow two-lane highway, trying to shake off the other vehicle! But the other car outnumbered them and its driver was extremely reckless and aggressive! The massive modified SUV savagely squeezed from both sides, attempting to force Wang Shengxiong to a stop! (End of Chapter)