American homeless people, surviving in the city

"Only what?" Lynch's heart tightened as Sanjar's tone rose.

"While our gladiatorial rules are indeed extremely bloodthirsty and unrestrained, there is one thing to be aware of," Sanjar finished speaking unhurriedly, "that is, when the opponent shouts surrender, you must not continue to attack. Similarly, if you have already surrendered, you must not continue to attack the opponent."

"...Why did he suddenly become so virtuous when he had no inhibitions before, all the while, when it came to surrendering?"

Lin Qi didn't quite understand how this rule was established for a moment, and the question couldn't help but slip out.

Sanjar glared at him, his eyes seeming to scold Lynch for asking so many questions, but after thinking for a moment, he finally sighed and began to explain:

"Sigh, whatever, I don't expect someone like you who's never even been in a gang to understand this."

"Here, there aren't as many complicated rules as in society. But among gangsters, the most important thing is 'face'."

"Two gangs send people here to fight and resolve their disputes through competition; this is an established rule. Even if they lose, it's simply because they are less skilled."

"But if you attack an enemy who has already surrendered, the nature of this changes, you understand? It will no longer be a competition, but a humiliation, a humiliation of the opponent, a humiliation of the gang they belong to."

"Although the police won't get involved, and although the other gang might not be very strong, people are still just made of flesh and blood."

"If you really anger the other gang, even a big shot like Boss Vesalio would be afraid that someone would suddenly pull out a gun and shoot him while he's walking down the street... I'm just using the boss as an example, do you understand?"

"Even the President of the United States can't escape a sniper's shot, let alone the people you'll mess with here, who are all licking blood off the blade, and many of them are even mentally ill. They could shoot you dead without even going to jail themselves."

"Therefore, always leave yourself an out, so you can meet again in the future. I've explained it in detail, haven't I? Do you understand?"

Lin Qi nodded: "Now that you put it that way, I understand."

He recalled that in the last century, at Dongda University and in Tianjin, the gangs had similar rules. When disputes arose between gangs, they wouldn't engage in armed combat; instead, they would send people out to "fight fiercely."

This so-called "fighting" is actually self-harm. The two sides compete to see who can hurt themselves more, and whoever makes the opponent unable to bear it first wins.

This bizarre fighting rule is actually quite similar to the rule in which Seattle gangsters come to this remote arena to compete, and are not allowed to lay a hand on surrendered enemies.

The purpose of these rules is to prevent gang warfare from becoming too intense, so as not to attract the attention of their insurmountable enemy—the heavily armed police.

Sanjar shook his head: "It really took me a lot of talking... Never mind, it's good that you understand."

"Alright, the match is about to start, and I should go and organize the other fighters in the gang. There are four matches today, and you're scheduled for the second one. Observe the match first and get familiar with the atmosphere here."

"Oh, right, I must warn you, remember, although the boss values ​​you highly, in the arena, everything comes down to strength. Never surrender after just a couple of blows, or... the Razor Gang will immediately withdraw all its investment in you."

Lin Qi weighed the hunting knife in his hand one last time, nodded, and said calmly, "Don't worry, since this is a collaboration, I will definitely exert my strongest strength as a 'partner'."

"You'd better be."

Sanjar grinned, forcing an ugly smile, then stood up and beckoned to the others around him:

"Alright, the match is about to start. Boss Vesalio won't be here for this kind of small match, so you all have to listen to me tonight! Come on over here, guys!"

Lin Qi stood not far from him, knife in hand, his gaze sweeping over them as he quietly watched the Razor Gang fighters approach.

The first to walk in was a thin, young white man with blond hair, a stubble beard, and deep-set eyes. He didn't look like a boxer about to step into the ring at all; he looked more like a gamer who would stay up all night playing video games.

The thin, young white man walked somewhat timidly to Sanjar, first nodding to him to indicate his arrival, then turning to Lynch and giving him a somewhat distant smile:

"Um...you must be Lynch. My name is Diego Dogo, they all call me Little Diego...Nice to meet you, please take care of me."

Little Diego's voice was very soft. After he finished his greeting in a mumble, he didn't wait for Lin Qi's response. He lowered his head and walked to the side without saying another word.

...Did they just grab a socially awkward gamer from somewhere?

Lin Qi really didn't expect that such a character would be pulled into underground boxing, but seeing that the other party was quite polite, he nodded politely in response.

Immediately afterward, a tall man with dark brown skin walked through the crowd and stood in front of Sanjar. The man had a low nose bridge and deep cheekbones, making him look like a Southeast Asian.

Compared to the younger Diego from before, this tall man looked more like a serious boxer. At least Lin Qi could see that beneath his thin black T-shirt lay impressively large muscles that looked incredibly powerful.

The tall man didn't even glance at Lin Qi. He walked up to Sanjar, gave a soft "hmm," and then stood aside, arms crossed, watching coldly.

Sanjar introduced in a low voice, "This is 'The Hound' Leo, responsible for the fourth and final match. He's incredibly strong. Besides, he doesn't talk to anyone much, so he's not targeting anyone specifically. You can rest assured."

Lynch nodded.

The third person to walk in was a robust young man who looked somewhat like Raul and also appeared to be of Latin descent.

He wasn't as tall as Leo, but he looked much more robust, with broad shoulders and arms that were as thick as iron, appearing to be twice as thick as Lynch's arms.

What's even more striking is the clear scar on the man's face.

He greeted Sanjar, then strode over to Lynch and extended his hand.

Lynch assumed he wanted a handshake, so he extended his hand in a friendly manner.

Unexpectedly, the other person's hand suddenly clenched, gripping Lin Qi's hand tightly like an iron clamp. A strange force came from the other person's hand, and Lin Qi instantly felt that his hand was being squeezed by a pair of pliers, and even his metacarpal bones seemed to be dislocated.

Before he could even react to what was happening, the other person grabbed his hand and pulled him in front of him.

A mocking smile appeared on the burly man's face, his breath reeking of tobacco and alcohol.

"Kid, so you're Lin Qi, right?"

"I'm genuinely curious, what makes you so special? How did you manage to get into the Razor Clan headquarters and meet Boss Vesalio on your very first day?"

"I've been risking my life on the streets for years and I've barely even seen the boss a few times. What makes you think you can meet him on your first try?! Who do you think you are?!"

The burly man practically roared out his last few words, his voice filled with intense anger and jealousy.