8: Chapter 8

8

"If you win, the prize money doubles. If you lose... you still get nothing."

Manager? Jiang Haojie's brow furrowed slightly.

He had no foundation in this city; where would he find such a person?

A thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

He turned his head, his gaze landing on Huang Xingshan with a hint of scrutiny.

Huang Xingshan adjusted his suit collar unhurriedly, a professional smile playing on his lips: "Allow me to reintroduce myself, Mr. X.

I am Huang Xingshan, and as it happens, I am a licensed underground boxing manager."

Jiang Haojie was silent for a moment, eventually just shaking his head almost imperceptibly.

***

"Zuixin Tower"

—One of the most legendary six-star hotels in Dragon City, its century-long history as prominent as its luxurious reputation.

Standing before the shimmering hotel entrance, Jiang Haojie looked at Huang Xingshan with a questioning gaze.

"It's right here."

Huang Xingshan lowered his voice, "The arena is downstairs."

Jiang Haojie said no more and followed him into the brilliantly lit lobby.

A greeter in formal wear bowed, the movement elegant and silent.

Huang Xingshan led him around the main hall toward a quiet corridor in the back.

At the end of the corridor, a ** elevator stood quietly, with a middle-aged man in a suit standing on either side.

Jiang Haojie's gaze swept over the two, his heart tightening slightly.

That restrained yet unmistakable aura clearly belonged to two Second-Order Awakeners.

Huang Xingshan took out a magnetic card with a dark pattern from his pocket. One of the men took it to verify and then silently made a "Please"

gesture.

The elevator doors closed and it descended.

Huang Xingshan pressed the button labeled "B5"

and explained: "That was the entry check.

My manager's license is the pass.

You'll need to register as a fighter later. Once that's done, the challenge can begin."

Jiang Haojie nodded.

The moment the elevator arrived, waves of sound surged toward them.

It was a cacophony of shouts, clashing metal, and the hum of electric currents.

Jiang Haojie closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them, his gaze had returned to clarity.

Huang Xingshan led him into a small registration room.

Behind the desk sat an old man with white hair and beard. His aura was calm, almost like an ordinary person, a stark contrast to the two guards outside.

"Newcomer registration."

Huang Xingshan stepped forward and gently placed a document on the desk.

The old man glanced at Jiang Haojie nonchalantly, pulled two forms from a drawer, and tossed them onto the desk.

Jiang Haojie picked up the two papers.

The first was a personal information sheet with only two columns: Name and Rank.

The second was a life-and-death contract. Signing it meant entering a realm where life and death were no longer guaranteed.

He picked up the pen.

In the name column, he wrote a simple "X"

, and in the rank column, he filled in "Zero"

.

Below the life-and-death contract, he also signed the same code name.

He handed the forms back.

The old man made a scribbled record and asked without looking up, "Which mode?"

"Challenge Mode."

Huang Xingshan answered on his behalf from the side.

The old man asked Huang Xingshan for his manager's credentials and typed on the nearby keyboard for a while. "All right, it will start in about half an hour.

Wait here."

The two left the room and found random seats in the spectator area.

This underground arena had three rings enclosed by iron cages, and at this moment, fights were taking place in each of them.

The surroundings were boiling with noise as people roared and cheered for the fighters they had bet on.

Jiang Haojie observed the figures in the rings.

Most of the fighters were Mutants or Physical Enhancers, with very few Psionics—but every Psionic standing here was a dangerous character.

Their fighting was ruthless, every move aimed at vital points, and weapons were permitted.

No wonder that life-and-death contract was necessary.

He also noticed that here, those who step onto the ring are simply "fighters"

, with no distinction between men and women.

About half an hour passed in observation.

An announcement pierced through the noise:

"Next match, new fighter 'X,' choosing Challenge Mode.

Good luck to him."

Jiang Haojie stood up and walked toward the ring.

Huang Xingshan followed closely behind—as the manager, he had to wait by the cage.

There was a flurry of discussion in the stands.

"A newcomer dares to choose Challenge Mode? He's looking for death."

"Maybe he has some trump card."

"I think his manager is out to get him."

No one favored him.

Staff members led him to Cage No. 3.

Although it was his first time in the ring, Jiang Haojie's heart was calm.

Among those of the same rank, monsters were far more ferocious than humans.

Since he didn't even fear First-Order monsters, why would he fear a Rank Zero human?

The announcement rang out again:

"X, first match of the challenge.

Opponent—'Berserk Giant Bear'!"

A burly man nearly two meters tall, wearing only shorts, stepped into the iron cage.

His muscles were knotted all over, and every step carried a heavy sense of pressure.

In comparison, Jiang Haojie's figure seemed as thin as a bamboo pole.

The burly man grinned, his crimson tongue licking his lips.

"Kid, you chose Challenge Mode... wait to be torn apart by me."

Ring ring ring—

The bell to start the battle echoed through the venue.

The bell cut through the air crisply, and the announcement followed.

"First round, begin!"

"Hahaha, come on!"

Berserk Giant Bear laughed wildly, his body suddenly swelling and deforming. In the blink of an eye, he transformed into a brown bear three meters tall, with thick fur covering his bulging muscles.

Jiang Haojie finally understood the origin of the nickname—the opponent not only looked like a bear but also had an Awakened ability derived from one.

Just as the thought crossed his mind, the giant bear launched its attack.

Without any fancy moves, it charged straight at Jiang Haojie, making the ring's floor tremble.

Jiang Haojie retreated quickly, then leaped into the air, delivering a sharp whip kick that lashed out like a steel whip, striking the giant bear squarely on the side of its head.

Bang!

In the muffled sound, Berserk Giant Bear didn't even have time to react before its massive body flew out of control, crashing heavily into the railing at the edge of the ring, then slumped down, falling unconscious.

The spectator stands suddenly fell into a dead silence, faces frozen in expressions of disbelief.

After a brief pause, the sound exploded.

"Damn it! This is definitely a fixed fight! How could Berserk Giant Bear lose?"

"There's a **! There's definitely something wrong here!"

"Dammit... I bet my entire fortune on him, it's all gone!"

Jiang Haojie ignored the noise around him and turned to the referee, who was also standing dazed.

"Does this count as a win? If not, I can wake him up and fight again."

"It counts! Of course it counts!"

The referee snapped back to his senses and nodded repeatedly.

"First round, X wins!"

The announcement rang out at the right time, with a hint of playful admiration in its tone: "Thank you, X, for giving us such a brilliant opening match.

Now, I'm even more looking forward to your next performance."

"X's second challenge: against 'Stone Person'."

Two staff members quickly went onto the stage and carried away the unconscious Berserk Giant Bear.

Immediately after, a figure stepped out from the shadows and onto the ring.

Jiang Haojie's expression became a bit subtle.

He had long known that "Stone Person"

was a nickname and thought it would be a burly, rugged man, but what appeared before him now was a girl less than 1.5 meters tall.

Her face was as youthful as a child's, her figure petite, but the curves of her chest were surprisingly proud, forming a strange contrast with that antithetical code name.

"It's Stone Person! X is definitely finished now!"

"That's right, she's much harder to deal with than that stupid bear!"

"Stone Person, tear him apart!"

The girl's entrance ignited the fervor of the stands, with cheers and whistles rising one after another.

Ring ring ring—

"Second round, begin!"

Stone Person—the girl—glanced at Jiang Haojie with interest, and then her body began to expand rapidly.

Rock-like gray-white material surged from beneath her skin, covering and stacking. In the blink of an eye, she had transformed into a rock giant over three meters tall, her body covered in coarse, natural patterns.

Without a word, she raised her right fist and smashed it down toward Jiang Haojie.

The fist was as large as a stone hammer; if hit, his bones would likely be shattered.

This time, Jiang Haojie did not retreat. Instead, he charged forward into the wind of the punch, using his agile movements to lightly dodge to the side, brushing past the giant fist and instantly closing in on her.

Although Jiang Haojie was nearly 1.8 meters tall, standing in front of the rock giant, he only reached her waist.

But this did not hinder his attack.

He twisted his waist to generate power and threw a straightforward heavy punch, not even using his special abilities, striking hard against the stone body on Stone Person's side.

"Ya!"

A short cry of pain and shock came from the direction of the rock giant.

That massive body built of rock actually let out a lingering cry of pain, so feminine it made one's spine tingle.

The stone statue stumbled back, her coarse fist smashing toward Jiang Haojie with the sound of wind, but because her body was too heavy, every swing was half a beat slow and was easily avoided by his light turns.

A cold light flashed in Jiang Haojie's eyes, and his body suddenly leaped up, his knee striking the stone statue's jaw like a sledgehammer.

With a thunderous roar, that mountain-like body finally collapsed, sending dust flying everywhere.

Silence enveloped the entire venue.

Then, boos and angry curses surged into the stands like a tide.

People slapped the railings, shouting "fixed fight"

—how could anyone defeat strong enemies one after another so effortlessly? Even Huang Xingshan by the ring was stunned; he wiped his face, but his palm couldn't suppress the gradually rising curve of his lips.

This wasn't just picking up a fighter; it was clearly unearthing a treasure buried deep underground.

The referee raised his arm as if waking from a dream.

The third match, the fourth match... the battles continued with striking similarity.

Jiang Haojie's pace was always calm, while his opponents fell one after another like waves of grain.

By the end of the seventh match, the noise in the stands had turned into a numb murmur.

Doubts began to waver: one bear might be faked, but were all the fighters willing to be foils? Everyone knew the iron rule of this underground ring—the price of a fixed fight was disappearing forever in the depths of a dark alley.

The figure with the code name "X"

cast a longer and longer shadow under the spotlights.

In the VIP box, a silver-gray suit shimmered with a cold light.

The gaze behind the gold-rimmed glasses stared at the monitoring screen, the lenses reflecting that inconspicuous young man ** the ring. "Find out his background."

The voice was calm, but it made the air stagnate. "Call Red Fire over."

"You want him to guard the eleventh stage?"

The bearded man lowered his voice.

"No one else can hold the fort."

The man with glasses tapped the armrest with his fingertip. "And ask the Madam to come in person."

"Understood."

On the ring, Jiang Haojie welcomed his tenth opponent.

It was a burly man carrying two hammers on his shoulders, code-named "A Mao."

The iron hammers glinted with a dull dark luster under the lights, matching the cold gaze of their owner.

"To be able to break through to this point in one go, I'll give you credit for having skill."

A Mao's voice sounded like rusty iron scraping. "But the road ends here."

Jiang Haojie just stretched his wrists.

After nine consecutive fights, fatigue had accumulated like fine sand in the depths of his bones, but it was quietly washed away by the warm current flowing endlessly through his body.

He looked up and smiled: "Please."

"Choose a weapon."

A Mao tilted his chin. "Don't say I'm taking advantage of you."

"When I need one, I'll take it myself."

Jiang Haojie shrugged casually.

"Reckless."

The iron hammers tore through the air, smashing down with a wailing sound of wind.

A Mao's roar exploded on the ring as the pair of heavy iron hammers in his hands smashed down toward Jiang Haojie's head.

That fierce force made all the onlookers hold their breath.

Jiang Haojie did not take the hit head-on; he just applied a little pressure with his toes, and his figure drifted back several feet.

The iron hammers crashed to the ground, gouging a hideous crack into the hard surface of the ring.

A Mao missed his strike, twisted his waist and spun around, and the other iron hammer swept across, but it was again calmly avoided by Jiang Haojie with a backward leap.

A Mao's eyes were red, and he swung his hammers like a whirlwind, pressing closer step by step.

Jiang Haojie, however, always wove through the chaotic shadows of the hammers, not even a corner of his clothes being touched.

At this time, in the box next to the ring, a middle-aged beautiful woman dressed in a white form-fitting dress with a short vest was quietly watching the scene below through the glass.

Beside her stood the middle-aged man with glasses, who asked in a low voice: "Madam, what do you think of this person?"

The beautiful woman did not move her gaze: "Have you found out his background yet?"

"No,"

The man with glasses shook his head. "Third Uncle only gave us the most ordinary registration form."