"Kill!" "Kill him!!" "Odds 1.5:2.7." "Keep going!" "Break that bastard's neck!!"
The shouts of the fanatics converged into a crazy sound, and thousands of roaring faces crowded around the octagonal ring, with skinny or thick arms waving in response to the shouts. Smoke, alcohol, sweat, blood, and the psychedelic smell of illegal drugs, everything melted into the dull underground air, swaying wildly with people's voices. A little further away, the high-end auditorium, which is reminiscent of the ancient amphitheater, is stacked up like the floors of a building. People in luxurious clothes are holding telescopes to watch, and their eyes are more intense than those at the bottom. of fanaticism.
"Countdown to 10 seconds." The referee counted the seconds indifferently, "10..."
Before the countdown ended, the man was hit by a swinging punch on the right side of his face, with a dull sound like the sound of a drum that hit people's hearts. The broken teeth flew up with blood, and the loser's body flew over the edge of the hot ring and smashed into the enthusiastic audience. The skin on his face swayed exaggeratedly to one side as if struck by a strong wind, and his bloodshot eyes were filled with shock and fury.
The crowd dispersed quickly. No one caught him, and the man fell unconscious like a bag of garbage. "Okay!!" "Fucking trash." "Okay!!" No one cared about the loser, and shouts of surprise and regret rushed towards the winner standing on the ring. Spotlights all over the venue hit the center of the octagonal ring, and the winner walked off the stage in glory amid cheers.
Zarul Gat was wearing a hood and mingling with the audience at the bottom. A drunkard on the side swung the bottle roughly and almost hit him on the head, but Zarul did not move. This is the sixth game of the knockout round. Each of them is a strong player who has won five games in a row. On an ordinary night, each of them would be enough to make the audience revel, but at this moment, they are being used as if they are consumables.
Zarul raised his gaze to the top of the casino. He couldn't see anything, but he knew that somewhere at the top there was a masked man in black sitting on an iron seat of cold steel, looking down at the battle in the dust like a king who ruled the mountains and rivers. That was Zarul's goal, he wanted to defeat that man and win the throne; that was the goal of everyone in the casino, and countless wealthy and noble people sent their cronies to wait day and night at the filthy lowest level, just to know that he had taken action. war information.
At this moment, the upper auditorium has been occupied by the crowd, because the champion is now in the casino.
"The next one starts in 10 minutes!"
While thinking, the referee stood on the ring and shouted, and the contestants' information was projected on the holographic projections all over the casino. Zarul stopped reviewing the details of previous games and began to meditate to regulate his aura.
Girls dressed hotly jumped from the second floor and danced around the ring, further inciting the men's emotions. The commentator with an exaggerated haircut held a microphone and jumped deliberately like a clown: "The old-school strongman Zarul faced off against the rookie from the empire! The odds of winning are 1.2. It's a close match... After receiving a big call from the 7th floor. Bet! Three million kri betzalur! It’s a big deal if you win this time, the distinguished guests on the 8th floor will also place bets..."
"Take my ticket!" "I'll bet on the newcomer." "Get your ticket quickly, the crap is about to begin!" The red-eyed gamblers at the bottom seized the last chance to place bets and beat the robot collecting the bets with the white tickets in their hands. . Regardless of the sweaty lower-class people or the well-dressed upper-class VIPs, everyone is doing the same thing at this moment, squandering their hard-earned wealth in a few seconds, so as to gain several times the reward and only exist in a moment of delusion. The joy of time.
Zarul does not despise them, he knows that everyone here is pursuing illusory things. The audience bets their wealth, and the warriors bet their bodies, skills, dignity, and their own lives.
"This is the last match of the night. No-limits arena!" With one minute to go, the referee came on stage. "The fight starts after the referee announces it. It's up to you to tell me the rules of the unlimited ring." He held the microphone high and pointed it at the audience surrounding the ring. "Weapons, prosthetics, armor, any equipment?"
"Yes!" the gamblers cheered.
"War pets, puppets, robots, any helpers?" the referee raised his voice.
"Okay!!" The gamblers waved their arms.
"Psychic weapons! Super powers! Impermanence! Any supernatural power?" the referee roared.
"Yes! Yes! Yes!!"
The shouts were like an invisible tsunami, and the impact that condensed into substance crashed into Zarul's skin. "The only rule?" The referee raised his hands in the air, and the ring was flooded with a roar of fanaticism like faith.
“The winner takes all!!!”
The winner is king. The creed of gamblers, the faith of fighters. The countdown ended, the door to the lounge opened, and the automatic machine paved a bloody passage leading directly to the ring. The rookie was the first to stand on the ring. A young woman from the Empire, with waist-length hair, it was obvious from a glance that she was from a famous family like most of the Empire's elite players. No one came out of the lounge on the other side. Zarul took off his hood, jumped up amidst the surprised shouts of the people around him, and stood on the octagonal ring.
Zarul stood face to face with the rookie. The opponent buckled his right leg inward, his left leg slightly forward, and raised his hands in a basic Chinese pose. Zarul clenched his fists and concentrated his strength on his legs. The new people always stand in silence, while the old people often say a few words at the "beginning", and they will never suffer any loss if they engage in psychological warfare first. Such people do not accept provocation and attack their weaknesses first.
"Girl, give me a chance." Zarul told the lie in a low voice, "That man insulted my sister. She was the same age as you at the time. I want to seek revenge from him."
The rookie's lips moved slightly, and Zaroor concentrated. "Start!" The referee raised his hand. Zarul's strong body suddenly fell down, like a cheetah about to leap out. An earth-yellow field appeared from his side, and the octagonal arena fluttered violently like a wooden boat in a tsunami!
"The strange appearance appears, shaking the sacred mountain of the earth."
The yellow sand in the arena turned into mountains and rose up to the top of the underground casino. Vibration waves that made the earth groan emerged from Zarul's side, and the turbulent vibrations transformed the safe footing on the ground into a dangerous situation with no life or death. The aroused yellow sand obscures the opponent's vision, and under the control of the field, countless sand and dust condense into tiny needles for strafing attacks. A sand needle grazed the steel rope at the edge of the ring, and the hard protection made of cold steel instantly shattered into powder. Each sand needle contains "shock" power, and each blow is enough to cut off the opponent's life at the moment of contact.
The manifestation method of controlling the earth fully demonstrated its power at this moment. While jumping out, Zaroor activated the "Modern Fortress" prosthetic body that was urgently installed last night. Hard armor as dark as night covered his fists. The man was determined to fight quickly. He jumped forward bravely at the beginning of the duel and struck a blow that shook the earth!
"——!"
The whistling wind of the fist penetrated the yellow sand, and the inevitable punch only passed through the air. Snapped. As if being tapped lightly by a fingertip, the side of Zarul's neck was touched like a dragonfly touching water.
The call to the body fell into silence, and all the strength in the body was lost, just like the blood and life drained from the wound bitten by a poisonous snake. Zarul relied on his willpower to hold on for a moment, then knelt down weakly in the yellow sand.
At this moment, he saw the truth. The rookie did not move a step. His punch missed because the opponent's attack was one step faster, as fast as lightning and as vicious as a snake.
"The Qin family of the imperial capital, Qin Qianbai."
It turned out that when she spoke before, she wanted to introduce herself as usual.
The holographic projection repeatedly replayed the movements that were slowed down to the extreme, allowing everyone to see the confrontation at that moment. After a brief silence, the gamblers danced and shouted. The regretful curse of the losers was covered up by the madness of more people. "I bet you three thousand! Good job!!" "Keep winning, keep winning!!" The ecstatic gamblers discussed the odds and odds of winning. Qin Qianbai didn't care about these trivial matters and turned around and walked off the ring after winning. The host shouted excitedly behind her. "Rookie Qin Qianbai has won an amazing seven consecutive victories! If she wins two more games, she will have the honor of challenging for the championship!!"
On the top floor of the casino, in the luxurious area blocked by one-way transparent material, the champion was looking at the arena with interest, and his eyes accidentally crossed with the girl at the bottom.
"Did you see it, old friend?" The champion toasted happily, "The casino equipment should be updated again, otherwise the idiots will not be able to see the details of the fight."
"Well..." The old friend picked through the refrigerator and found a box of caviar, "She can do it faster."
"It's exciting." The champion shrugged his shoulders, "Whether it's your niece or the man in the last fight, there are more and more guys who are worthy of drawing the sword. I'm very happy when I think that there are still a few good shows to watch. Ha ha ha ha!"
The laughter of a champion sounds the same as the guffaws of gamblers. Everyone here is the same, a gambler who spends a lot of money for the atmosphere and fun. This is the Cold Steel Arena, a paradise for madmen, a battlefield where blood is shed in the extreme cold.
To talk about the reason why a certain eldest lady appears here, we have to go back to three days ago, the afternoon when Miss Qiluo played a prank...
·
Three days ago, Daystar.
"Principal, can you say that again?" Gongsun Ce was stunned.
Honorwell on the screen frowned and repeated to him once again: "Gaius Optimis sent a message through family channels and sent us a request for peace talks."
The crew of the Morning Star were all gathered on the bridge, and most of them had expressions similar to Gongsun Ce's. Rei Shigure was the first to ask: "Does he really think everyone is a fool?"
"No, Miss Shigure. From what I know about Gaius, that man is serious."
Gongsun Ce felt deeply ridiculous: "Is he so naive?"
Honorwell shook his head: "Gaius is a rational and almost mechanical person. He is not asking for peace because he is timid, but because this matter is 'no harm' to him personally. Even if the peace talks fail, it will just return to the original tense situation. State, he has no reason not to try."
"It makes sense, so why should we hold the risk of stepping into a trap and being besieged to engage in peace talks with him?" Gongsun Ce said, "Wait until Gaius throws the cup to the trumpet and five hundred Pinglongji are killed on both sides. There’s no need to talk about that.”
"First of all, the dragon machine is not a mass product of energy production. Secondly, I am not familiar with "Three Kingdoms". Please use an analogy that everyone can understand." Onoville left a letter on the table, "Finally , the champion guarantees the safety of this peace negotiation on his own honor. I have not met him personally, so it is up to you to judge whether you believe it or not."
The silver letter paper has eclectic and elegant handwriting, which is the handwriting of champion Valens. After the principal conveyed the information, he remained silent and waited for the judgment of the commissioners.
"Miss, what do you think?"
Gongsun Ce had never actually met the champion and only heard the girls describe his strength. He knew that a warrior understood another warrior best, so he took the lead to ask Qin Qianbai for his opinion. Qin Qianbai looked at the letter carefully and nodded.
"The champion is a worldly and arrogant man. He is greedy for enjoyment, values utilitarianism, and has high goals. Such people always care about their reputation. For them, losing their reputation is more unbearable than being knocked down. If Gaiwu If Si dares to use his name to carry out a sneak attack and frame up, the furious champion will completely destroy his plan and fight to the death." Qin Qianbai said, "This letter was written by the champion himself, and his handwriting carries his sword intention. "
"Ah?" Qiluo said blankly, "I didn't see it. What is the sword intention?"
Qin Qianbai patted Qiluo's head: "Look, even Qiluo can't see it. This is something that others can't imitate, just like I can't describe Qin Ming's mood."
"I trust your judgment." Gongsun Ce nodded, "Qiluo, please adjust the route. Let's go to the Cold Steel State."
"Mr. Gongsun, have you thought about it?" Honorwell reminded, "The absence of risks does not mean there are benefits. Gaius is closely connected with the Dust Order, and we all know that the possibility of reconciliation is close to 0."
"Even if there is no possibility of reconciliation, this peace negotiation is worth attending. This is a good opportunity to contact Gaius and obtain information." Alandia answered for the entourage. She then added: "I would recommend that you have brief discussions with senior leaders from each country."
"Of course, I will give our bottom line as soon as possible after the discussion... although I don't think we will use any of them." Onoville nodded, "I wish you all a safe journey."
The old principal ended the communication, and the crew members immediately returned to their usual lazy state from sitting upright. Rei Shigure said lazily: "I told you to think carefully. Just because it is good for Gaius and harmless does not mean it is good for us. What if he talks about cheating and deceives people and sets up a trap for us with false information? ?”
Gongsun Ce pushed up his glasses: "Good question, do you think Alandia and I can see through his lies?"
"Ah... the more I talk in front of you two, the more mistakes I make." Shigure Rei suddenly realized.
"I hope Gaius is a liar who talks lies. This shows that he has the same intellectual disability as his son. An idiot is always nothing to worry about."
Gongsun Ce walked out of the deck, put up the railing, and looked down at the scenery under the ship. Qin Qianbai asked curiously: "What if Gaius is telling the truth."
"That shows that he is indeed a rational person, so cautious that he does not want to take any risk of being discovered." Gongsun Ce said, "By then things will be in trouble. We can all see that Gaius has a big plan in the United States. For a person who is extremely cautious to do such a big thing, he either has great ideals and goals that he thinks he has, or he is driven to a desperate situation and goes crazy.”
He thought of Genya Shigure on Zero Island and sighed: "Both are equally bad."
Unknown to them, many people have traveled to the Cold Steel State in recent days for another reason. These people do not pay attention to politics or peace talks. What attracts them is another piece of news from the Cold Steel State:
Champion Valens is in a good mood recently, and the No Limits Arena match will be held this week. The strong player who wins nine games in a row will have the honor of challenging for the championship.
(End of chapter)
