Masks and Pig Heads

[Pluto City. Investigation Bureau. Archives]

More than two hundred employees who also work for Mercury Group are efficiently processing documents here.

One of the women, with blonde wavy hair, smoking a cigarette, and wearing an earring and tongue ring, was typing rapidly on a typewriter, efficiently processing various documents related to "people".

The desktop also features three buttons: green, yellow, and red.

Her responsibility is to conduct the initial review of the documents.

The woman paused for a moment when a profile of a person was sent to her, because the mask on the person's photo was unsettling at first glance.

This profile comes from the gray area, where wearing a mask is permitted.

Along with the medical report came a detailed medical report, as well as the person's registered name - [Mr. D].

She immediately compared the records with those of recent visitors, mental patients, new prisoners at the Border City Prison, and immigrants, and found that none of them matched.

However, Mr. D's introducer, Isabella, possesses detailed personal information.

A local resident, a high-ranking executive at a company, and also a senior member of Eden.

Initial speculation suggests that this mysterious Mr. D may be a special henchman secretly trained by this member, specifically for participating in combat competitions.

Many social elites who participate in gambling and fighting will privately cultivate related participants through improper means.

Ultimately, this file was classified as yellow (note), and we will continue to monitor it.

[Underground Eden: Fighting Arena]

Mr. D has passed the qualification assessment and become a fighter; the relevant information has been submitted to the person in charge here.

Regardless of physical characteristics, weapon type, or physical data from the medical examination, it all falls under Level 1.

Such high-quality fighters are very rare, and if properly arranged, they will surely greatly mobilize the audience's enthusiasm and further enhance the influence of the Fighting Arena.

Input Mr. D's information into the computer for automatic matching, and several suitable Pseudo-Human quickly popped up.

Inside the lounge,

Luo Di was playing with the "Unstable Item" he had just acquired, his entire attention focused on it, but the expression under the mask was not good.

It seems that the props in his hands are difficult to control, or perhaps his mind is being negatively affected.

A staff member suddenly jogged over and said, "Mr. D, your qualification review has been passed. We have also matched you with an opponent of similar strength. The next match will be your debut."

Luo Di's gaze remained fixed on the prop in his hand, and he managed to speak with some difficulty from beneath his mask:

Are there any things I should be aware of, or any rules?

"Fight to the death."

What benefits would I receive if I won the match?

"Don't you know the rules of winning and losing? Don't worry, we give the winners a lot of preferential treatment here, especially for the weaker human side."

If you win, you will receive the following rewards:

1. 3% of the winnings from this match.

2. The Pseudo-Human you kill will be auctioned off immediately, and you will receive 10% of the auction proceeds.

3. If you win three consecutive matches, all the items in your possession will be yours, and the organization will create a character profile and related promotional advertisements for you, greatly increasing your popularity.

4. If you win five consecutive games, Mercury Group will offer you a deep contract. Even if you don't want to play anymore, the group will directly hire you as a talent.

Of course, you can also choose to keep playing.

"Knew."

"Then please get some rest, Mr. D. I will let you know before you go on stage."

Of all these rewards, only the third one interested him.

However, the fighting itself is a good thing for him, as it not only provides nutrition to his back, but may also serve as a stepping stone to the "Sororate".

If you want to get to know your class monitor better, attending the sorority's meeting is a must.

Moreover, in Luo Di's eyes, the deeply hidden sorority was the real target he wanted to hunt down, and the core sisters within it were definitely top-quality prey.

"The class monitor is clearly intentionally leading me to the [Sorority] and getting to know this organization better. She must have her own secrets."

In any case, this is a rare opportunity, so let's play our best in the first game.

Just as Luo Di was lost in thought, his attention shifting from the surface of the prop,

Snort!

A loud, forceful squeal from a pig pierced my brain, interrupting my train of thought.

This forced him to turn his attention back to the prop in his hand.

A rather ordinary-looking "pig-slaughtering knife".

This short weapon is even shorter than the previous Zombie Blade, meaning that it requires closer close-quarters combat.

Currently, under the white light of the lounge,

The smooth surface of the blade reflected the mask Luo Di wore on his face.

Unlike reality, an additional phantom image of a pig's head was projected onto the arm, constantly snorting and making a racket.

Inside a fully enclosed octagonal cage.

A thrilling "battle" had just ended, and cleaners were quickly cleaning up the residue on the field.

The host, dressed in a tuxedo and wearing a smiling mask, appeared on stage.

His voice could be heard clearly by everyone without the need for amplification equipment.

"Ladies and gentlemen! After our back-end screening, we will be adding an extra fighting match tonight."

The human participant is a distinguished Eden Senior Member, a newcomer to the Fighting Arena, [Mr. D].

Based on our initial assessment of this player, the opponent we matched with is a popular player who has already won two matches and completely dismantled their opponents in each one.

[The Night Hunter - William Powers]!!!

As the host called out the name, the odds for this impromptu match were projected onto the screen.

Mr. D's odds against the Night Stalker are 2.4:1.3.

Humans are indeed more likely to lose when facing Pseudo-Human, especially since this is a newcomer. And this newcomer will also be facing the Night Hunter, who has previously shown impressive performance.

Most people choose to bet on the Pseudo-Human.

Some viewers, considering that the newcomer was recommended by a member and might have something special about him, decided to bet on this human with the minimum bet amount to bet on him, just to be on the safe side.

Inside the private rooms in the members' area,

The class monitor naturally bet the largest amount on Luo Di, and Shia, sitting next to him, followed suit with the same amount.

As the betting ended, the tickets were quickly distributed to each audience member by robots.

The atmosphere at the event was noticeably weaker than the previous one.

Most people prefer established players, as it at least guarantees a more exciting match. Matches added temporarily under the guise of membership are likely to be unequal, and the human side might soon be slaughtered.

The spotlight shone on the octagonal cage.

The host raised his arm.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let us give a warm welcome to the fighter of this match, William Bowles!!"

Inside the passageway on the right side of the octagonal cage,

Two security guards wearing bronze masks used restraint devices to bring a middle-aged man, whose private parts were covered only by a tattered cloth, onto the stage.

His hair was disheveled and long, his body hair was thick, and his eyes were vacant.

This person doesn't seem to have absolute self-control and needs to be shackled to enter the arena. The shackles will automatically unlock when the match begins.

When this person came on stage, cheers erupted from many of William's fans in the audience.

As the cheers subsided, the host extended his arm to the other side, "Next, let's welcome the human fighter, the newcomer Mr. D, who is making his first appearance on stage."

Only a few spectators cheered, and the cheering didn't last long before it stopped abruptly.

Almost all the viewers, even those who didn't think highly of Mr. D, turned their attention to this, drawn by something.

The newcomer's appearance is quite unique.

The masks worn on the faces of newlyweds, in particular, exude an invisible sense of fear and pain.

This was a mask they had never seen before.

The cool white tone is paired with some black vertical lines.

The mask has only two small, concave circular holes corresponding to the eyes, which are just the right size to match the wearer's eyeballs.

The mouth of the mask resembles a cracked, withered slit, giving it a very dry feel; it can be described as a "mouth slit."

The gaping lip is inlaid with small, curved hooks that are inserted completely into the wearer's lips, arranged closely together to create a very direct phantom pain sensation for the viewer.

The area between the lips was pitch black, and nothing could be seen without sufficient lighting.

As the audience watched closely, they could faintly hear a series of clicking sounds.

And the occasional squealing of pigs, seemingly coming from nowhere.

At this moment, many viewers began to regret their bets.

Mr. D, his body wrapped in a long, oversized trench coat, walked step by step into the octagon in heavy Oxford shoes.

"Is that a kitchen knife? How can you cut someone with such a short weapon?"

Some viewers quickly noticed that what Luo Di was holding was actually a household kitchen knife, which didn't look like a weapon that could be used for combat, let alone to deal with the Pseudo-Human.

The mechanism was activated, and the iron cage was closed.

The restraints on William were also removed at the same time.

The sounds of bones breaking and flesh tearing could be heard.

Body hair grew wildly.

Increased arm span

Back stretching,

Muscle gain,

The facial bones split open directly from the center, and a terrifying wolf's head protruded from within.

A werewolf measuring 2.5 meters in length was fully displayed.

Watching such a thrilling transformation, the audience's emotions were also brought to a fever pitch.

Battle begins!