Warworld

These fanatical alien spectators once again redefined Jay's understanding of the word "crazy." Their passion for the Warworld arena events surpassed any description of "crazy." As Jay was swept along with a tide of unidentifiable alien creatures into the stadium, he had to tightly grip Kara's hand to avoid being separated by the crowd.

The massive stadium had seating on three sides, forming a semicircle around the central arena. A preliminary estimate suggested at least ten thousand seats. The ground was covered in light white metallic flooring, and the arena was enclosed by a circular laser barrier, like an invisible cage that restricted the fighters' freedom while also protecting the audience. On the side without seating, a pale gold tower stood tall. A square observation deck jutted out facing the arena; these were the VIP seats with the best view of the stadium.

However, not just anyone could ascend that tower. Its function was more than just providing a good vantage point; it was the building that concentrated all the power of Warworld. It housed the launch controls for all weapons on this cosmic fortress. If its status were compared to that of the White House in America, it would be equivalent, or even surpass it.

But more importantly, it was also where all the prisoners captured and brought to Warworld for the competition were held. This made the building the primary objective for Jay and Kara's visit.

The two of them subtly found an inconspicuous corner in the audience seating and sat down, surrounded by highly emotional aliens. The announcer looked like a pink primate, but his mouth resembled a suction cup, constantly bobbing up and down as he delivered the opening remarks. Jay was very curious how he managed to produce clear sounds with such a mouth; perhaps the principle of his vocalization was different from humans.

After a brief opening speech, the announcer began introducing the contestants. Jay soon saw Drago, the alien strongman mentioned at the entrance, who was about to achieve his tenth consecutive victory. He truly looked like an extraordinary warrior. He wore a steel helmet with a single horn, was missing an eye, and had a deep scar across his closed eyelid, a shocking sight. When the announcer called his name, he raised the battle axe in his hand and roared loudly, igniting another wave of excitement from the audience.

The cheers of over ten thousand alien spectators made Jay feel as if his eardrums were vibrating, which was quite irritating. But he subconsciously glanced at the girl beside him and felt an inexplicable sense of peace.

"Are we, uh, on a date?" he said, half-jokingly.

Kara gave him a somewhat surprised look, her expression becoming a little unnatural. "Maybe. I guess so."

While the announcer was introducing the next contestant and the audience was cheering enthusiastically, the two of them got up and slipped away towards the inner tower. None of the cheering spectators noticed their movements. It had to be said, the prediction made by the big guy they met at the entrance was quite accurate. The match had already ended by the time they silently incapacitated the guards and used Super Speed to sneak into the tower. The entire process took less than a minute and couldn't be called an exciting duel. The alien, described in folklore as having three heads and six arms, lasted only ten rounds under Drago's heavy axe before his head was severed, taking less time than it would to smoke a cigarette.

The audience cheered for the invincible Drago's victory once again, but they were also very angry that the long-awaited match had ended so anticlimactically. They furiously protested, strongly demanding that the next opponent at least be able to last more than thirty moves against Drago. The excited audience continued to make noise for a while without dispersing, and only when the announcer, under the pressure of being showered with spit, guaranteed that they would find top-tier ferocious creatures from the universe next time did the audience begin to leave.

Inside the protruding VIP stands of the arena, a staff member wearing a top hat held a tablet-like terminal and respectfully stood by the throne to report, "The people are starting to lose patience, and your approval rating is gradually declining. If we can't present exciting enough matches, the people might..."

He cautiously paused there, as if afraid of touching something taboo. The giant on the throne leaned forward. He had earth-yellow skin, a ferocious appearance, and his eyeballs were a dangerous blood red, flashing with a cunning and malicious glint.

"Might what?" he asked in a low voice, his tone muffled like thunder trapped in dense clouds.

"Rebel," the staff member said cautiously. "People have started discussing it."

"Hmph, they won't," the burly king stood up and walked to the window, overlooking the empire under his rule. "As long as we can ensure a continuous stream of exciting battles. Those humans from Earth promised me they could transform humans into powerful fighters. That project can solve our problems once and for all."

"With all due respect, but the modified subjects they've brought onto the stage so far are all vulnerable. They can't even withstand one of Drago's axes."

"Then give them a kill order!" the king raised his voice impatiently. "Set a deadline for them to create something that can last at least thirty rounds against Drago before next week's match, or let those Earthlings perish along with their research!"

The staff member hurriedly lowered his head, almost wishing he could press his forehead to the floor. "Yes, I'll go convey the message now."

He quickly retreated from the room with his head bowed, not daring to even raise his eyelids. Only when the automatic doors closed completely, separating him from that imposing figure, did he straighten up. He adjusted his collar and strode through the winding corridors, arriving at a certain door. He took a deep breath, unlocked it, and walked in with his head held high, his eyes almost rolling to the top of his head.

Seeing him enter, the black man who called himself Kevin Morgan, whom Jay had met earlier at Kairi Technology Creative Company, eagerly rushed forward, saying with a smile, "We've made significant progress. The previous two test subjects have shown top-tier physical abilities and endurance. You can rest assured, we guarantee we can create a creature capable of fighting that undefeated alien warrior within a month."

"Too slow," the staff member said with a stern face, his arrogant demeanor completely changed from before. "The leader has ordered that it must be completed within a week, before next week's duel."

Kevin's expression changed drastically. He tried to maintain his smile. "Next week is indeed a bit tight. How about two weeks? We'll find a way to complete it no matter what!"

"I said next week, it's next week. This is the leader's final order," the staff member snorted. "He said if you can't meet the requirements within seven days, you can go to hell along with this project."

He arrogantly threw down the challenge and turned, dramatically flicking his sleeve as he walked out, leaving the person in charge with an extremely grim expression. Their progress was already behind schedule, and the ruler of Warworld had expressed his dissatisfaction with their delays multiple times. Furthermore, Kevin hadn't dared to report the intrusion of two super-powered teenagers into the Kairi Technology Creative Company headquarters on Earth yet. Otherwise, knowing the ruler here, he felt the other party might crush his head on the spot.

His assistant quietly walked up behind him and asked in a low voice, "What should we do?"

Kevin glared at him irritably and shouted, "What should we do? What else can we do!? We'll speed up the progress, and make minor adjustments during the human experimentation. If God is willing, we might still catch up."

He huffed angrily and quickly walked to a locked door on the inner side of the laboratory. He swiftly unlocked it. It was a room almost completely devoid of light. The moment the door opened, a pungent, choking odor wafted out, like a moldy wine cellar. Gaunt people were scattered haphazardly within the room, their limbs adorned with heavy shackles. As light penetrated through the opened door, they instinctively hugged their bodies to avoid the light, shrinking into the dark corners.

These were the people who had been abducted from Earth. He was contemplating taking out two test subjects when two sudden noises from behind interrupted his actions. Kevin had to turn back to confirm what unexpected event had occurred in the laboratory. He poked half his head through the opened door and was surprised to find that everyone in the laboratory had fainted within the last two to three seconds. The two super-powered teenagers had appeared in the center of the laboratory as if they had materialized out of thin air. Their burning red pupils cast gazes as if containing thousands of degrees of heat.

"We meet again, old man," Jay said coldly, clenching his fist. "Miss me?"