Chapter 33: Fight

“Hmph? Something’s off…”

Fang Xing walked through the ruins of the old district when his heart suddenly pounded wildly.

He spun around instantly and saw, at the edge of his vision, a dark figure chasing after him!

The opponent moved with astonishing speed and agility.

“A Puyu Realm martial artist—Federation Puyu Realm. His combat power definitely exceeds that of a Xiantian martial artist!”

“Not only that—he’s wearing a nanotech protective suit!”

Fang Xing’s gaze fell on the opponent’s nanotech suit, then rose upward, revealing a face with a high nose bridge and triangular eyes.

“I can’t beat him… and if he’s chasing me, he definitely has ill intent!”

With this thought, he reached into his pocket and secretly tore open a ‘Wind-riding Talisman’!

The next instant!

Whooosh!

A gentle breeze stirred around him, instantly reducing air resistance by more than half.

He leapt lightly—and his entire body rode the wind, soaring over twenty meters in one bound!

“Damn…”

‘Scavenger’ Lans saw this and widened his eyes: “Didn’t expect a Feng-class ability user… then again, who’d dare come to the black market without a few tricks up their sleeve?”

Fang Xing had torn the talisman inside his pocket—in the eyes of outsiders, he looked just like a Wind-class ability user!

He didn’t dare delay, accelerating rapidly.

After fleeing a considerable distance, he ducked into a building and slapped two more talismans onto himself.

——‘Silence Talisman’!

——‘Invisibility Talisman’!

Not long after, he saw Lans arrive, memorizing the attacker’s face clearly.

Then he saw Lans summon a group of rats, seemingly ordering them to search for something.

Unfortunately, the rats couldn’t detect Fang Xing’s trail at all.

“White male, triangular eyes, can control small animals… I’ve got you marked.”

Fang Xing clenched his teeth inwardly.

He might not be a match for him now, but a man changes in three days.

For him, growing stronger wouldn’t take long.

When that time came, today’s grudge would be repaid!

…

Two days later.

Nighttime.

Fang Xing returned to the old district.

There was no choice… he’d paid good money; he had to come.

Besides, this time he was a guest—the Blood Cage Arena should have arrangements.

At the boundary between the old and new districts, an abandoned bus stop.

When Fang Xing arrived, he found a crowd already gathered—mostly white-collar workers and small merchants, all looking excited.

Doo-doo!

Suddenly, accompanied by the sound of an ancient bus horn, a yellow bus rolled up.

The old vehicle had clearly been modified: iron bars welded over the windows, barbed wire strung along the edges.

It looked like a prison transport for hardened convicts.

Clank…

The bus pulled up to the stop, its doors swinging open to reveal a middle-aged man in a black suit.

He wore sunglasses and wore a formulaic smile: “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome. I’m the client manager of the Blood Cage Arena. Please board now—we’ll take you to the arena for a thrilling night… Tickets are required to board; we’ll return you safely here after the fights… Of course, if you leave the arena on your own, you’re no longer under our protection…”

After explaining the rules, he waved his hand: “Board!”

A young socialite with dyed yellow hair stepped forward immediately, presented his arena ticket, and boarded smoothly.

Seeing this, the other passengers rushed forward.

Fang Xing observed silently, standing midway in the line.

After boarding, he picked a random seat—and found the yellow-haired youth sitting beside him.

“Is this the black market area?”

Once the bus started moving, the yellow-haired youth looked around excitedly: “I’ve always wanted to see this place… I heard the night scenes here are insane!”

“Yeah… insane enough to get you killed…”

Thinking of the assassination attempt two days ago, Fang Xing muttered dryly.

Of course, now he was a guest of the arena—protected by it. Even if the attacker had ten times the courage, he wouldn’t dare come near.

The Blood Cage Arena had earned its reputation and monopolized the nearby underground boxing scene for a reason—it wasn’t some harmless outfit.

“Really?”

Hearing Fang Xing’s remark, the yellow-haired youth grew even more excited: “I’m Hao Chi. What’s your name?”

“When I’m out, I never give my real name.”

Fang Xing closed his eyes and waited silently.

…

Blood Cage Arena.

Compared to daytime, the arena now seemed fully alive—neon lights flashed everywhere, crowds surged through every corridor.

Rabbit-girls and cat-girls wandered among the guests, trays in hand, carrying gambling chips and alcoholic drinks.

In the center of what had once been a sports stadium, a massive fighting ring had been constructed.

Around the ring loomed a grotesque iron cage, rusted and stained, with fragments of flesh and dried blood still hanging from some sections.

A primal, savage, bloody atmosphere surged forward like a wave.

The spectators, witnessing this, seemed ignited by some ancient, wild instinct—their voices rose threefold in volume.

“Iron Hand’s fight starts at nine…”

Fang Xing held a glass of juice, declined the cat-girl’s betting offer, and stood silently outside the cage, observing.

“Ladies and gentlemen, good evening, welcome to the Blood Cage Arena!”

At that moment, spotlights converged on the ring, revealing a host in a white suit, a blood-red rose pinned to his chest.

His expression was ecstatic, his voice thunderous, shaking the audience’s eardrums.

‘Damn… at least a Puyu Realm martial artist—trained in a Lion’s Roar-style technique!’

Fang Xing rubbed his ears as the host continued: “First up: ‘Flame’ versus ‘Killer Croc’! Let the blood flow and please us!”

No sooner had he finished than the cage doors on both sides opened, revealing two fighters.

‘Flame’ wore a red cloak, his fists wrapped in bandages—lean and wiry.

‘Killer Croc’ was a two-meter-tall Black man, his head braided with filthy dreadlocks, his body covered in tattoos and piercings.

“Fight begins!”

At the host’s roar, the cage doors slammed shut.

Instantly, Flame tore off his cloak and charged straight into Killer Croc.

Fists, kicks, elbows—two figures became killing machines, every part of their bodies a potential weapon of death.

“Not that strong—both around second realm—but their combat experience far exceeds mine… Without gear, I might not win…”

Fang Xing watched with grave expression.

Thud!

Suddenly, he saw Flame drive both fists inward—a Double Peaks Piercing the Temples strike—crashing directly into Killer Croc’s temples.

The blow was devastating. The giant, Killer Croc, collapsed to the ground, unable to rise for a long while.

“In a real life-or-death fight, victory is decided in just a few strikes…”

Fang Xing watched, learning much.

“Congratulations! Flame wins this bout! Now, the audience’s choice: Should Killer Croc be executed?”

The host stood at the cage’s edge, his expression wilder than ever: “Those who support execution—raise your right hand!”

“Kill him!”

“Kill this piece of shit—he made me lose a fortune!”

“Kill! Kill! Kill!”

…

Almost the moment the host finished speaking, most spectators raised their right hands, fists clenched, faces rapt with madness.

“Kill! Kill him!”

Amid the crowd’s roars, Flame didn’t hesitate—he grabbed Killer Croc’s head and twisted hard.

Crack!

The sickening sound of bone snapping echoed as Killer Croc’s corpse crashed to the ground.

Fang Xing watched this scene—and fell silent.

‘Fucking hell… back then, Liu Wei and I almost took the bait and signed up to be black-market fighters…’

According to our original strength, we would have been eliminated in the first round—worst case, even tortured to death for entertainment...

Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but be grateful for the original host’s choice back then.

Next, several more fights broke out.

Bloodshed, brutality...

And various strange martial arts and techniques opened Fang Xing’s eyes wide.

“Next comes the most thrilling part of tonight’s fight night!”

The announcer tore open his collar, visibly exhilarated: “Let us welcome... ‘Iron Hand,’ and ‘Armor King!’”

“Ooooh!”

Everyone in the arena cheered as if two celestial superstars had taken the stage.

“Iron Hand has finally appeared.”

Fang Xing’s expression shifted as he stared at the cage arena.

On the western side of the arena, a burly warrior was slowly entering.

His upper body was bare, revealing lean, powerful muscles—especially his right arm, which was a mechanical limb brimming with sci-fi steel aesthetics!

“A weapon user? This ‘Iron Hand’ is actually a ‘Mechanical Warrior’?”

Seeing this, Fang Xing fell into thought.

‘Mechanical Warriors’ are a minor branch of warriors; they deeply believe flesh and blood are weak, so they replace their limbs—even eyes, ears, and internal organs—with mechanical prosthetics.

They are essentially half-modified humans, and their advantage is clear: with enough money, they crush ordinary warriors in the early stages!

Of course, later on, it becomes less certain— the more organs you replace, the closer you become to a robot.

But the Federation could simply build robots on its own—why bother with these half-modified types, loaded with so many weaknesses?

As for the ‘Armor King,’ he should be an ability user whose power is a defensive ‘Steel Skin’!

“Though both are only at the Rough Jade realm, their respective enhancements are extremely powerful—they’re formidable fighters. This will be a good show.”

Fang Xing set down his juice cup and fixed his gaze entirely on the arena.

As if affected by the aura of these two giants, the once-noisy Blood Cage Arena fell silent.

Many felt suffocated, struggling to breathe.

“The ‘presence’ of a master?”

Fang Xing gained insight—when suddenly, a deafening crash erupted!

In the arena, the Armor King moved first!

He roared, transforming into a steel giant as he lunged at Iron Hand!