Silence

The third fanfiction, please collect if you like it.

Where there is light, there will be darkness…

The colorful neon lights blinded people's eyes, and beneath the dazzling prosperity, desires were constantly breeding and growing.

Ye Zi stood silently at the alley entrance, his indifferent gaze sweeping over the crowds under the lights. His tall figure blocked the darkness behind him. If one listened closely, they might hear sounds of pain coming from the depths behind him, and the muffled thuds of fists hitting flesh.

Half an hour ago, at the Boss's signal, he had intercepted a few slightly drunk men and dragged them deep into the alley.

The purpose, naturally, was to extort some money from these men dressed in nice clothes.

This prosperous city could satisfy all human desires, and the darkness it bred could destroy any meaningless fantasy. Those drawn by the prosperity were either lucky or tragic…

"Ye Zi, the Boss wants you to come over. I'll guard here." After a long while, a red-haired youth with a defiant expression walked up behind Ye Zi and patted his shoulder.

Ye Zi turned his head to look at him, nodded slightly, and without a word, walked into the alley.

The red-haired youth glanced sideways at Ye Zi as he walked away, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes.

"A guy from that place wants to fight in the ring?"

He withdrew his gaze from Ye Zi's back and looked at the street under the bright lights, muttering coldly, "What a shame, I'll have one less cannon fodder rushing to the front."

It seemed he could already foresee Ye Zi's fate, not cripple… but death.

After walking only a short distance, he could hear laughter from the depths, and the sounds of men crying out in pain from being hit. Ye Zi frowned slightly and quickened his pace.

Low-wattage lamps were dotted along the inner walls of the alley, their dim, yellowish light sufficient to illuminate the murky ground. The not-too-bad visibility prevented Ye Zi from tripping over unseen objects.

After passing a corner, the sounds of pleading mixed with pain became undeniably clear.

A burly man with a scar on his face sat on a pile of miscellaneous items, smoking. Not far in front of him, three men in long gowns and Western-style trousers were cornered against a wall by a group of people, who were occasionally landing punches or kicks.

Ye Zi's indifferent gaze swept through the dim yellow light. He could clearly see a companion holding three bulging wallets and some watches and gold chains. However, even after getting what they wanted, they didn't let the men go, seemingly just to satisfy their meaningless desire to beat people up.

When he walked in, he had already anticipated this outcome. He was used to his companions causing more trouble after achieving their goals. He did not agree with this practice, nor would he voice any opinion on it.

Ultimately, what did these three men have to do with him?

After watching for a moment, Ye Zi withdrew his gaze and walked towards the man sitting on the pile of miscellaneous items, saying, "Boss, you called for me?"

"You want to fight?" The man spat out the cigarette in his mouth and looked at him calmly.

"Yes." Ye Zi met the man's calm gaze and nodded firmly.

The man's lips curled slightly. He instinctively touched the hideous scar on his chest and said calmly, "Even I might not be able to beat a single opponent in the ring."

"I have to go." Ye Zi said with certainty.

His firm tone made the man pause for a moment. After a beat, he said, "I'll recommend you tomorrow, and you'll have to fight the day after."

He paused, and his gaze suddenly turned cold. "If you dare to back out after I recommend you, I'll make your life worse than death."

Ye Zi's heart tightened. He nodded heavily, indicating he understood.

Seeing this, the man's cold gaze gradually returned to normal.

"Once you're in the ring, one of you has to die. I hope that person isn't you."

Ye Zi couldn't help but clench his fists and let out a muffled sound from his nose. He knew the rules here. This wasn't underground boxing, but a death match for entertainment. Once on the stage, insufficient ability meant death, with no room for luck.

If he could, he really didn't want to go to that hellhole, but he had to. Because he needed a lot of money, or rather… a lot of medical expenses.

To raise a large sum of money in a short period, this was currently the only option.

"Wait for me… Xiao Rui" Ye Zi said silently in his heart.

Two days later, the highly anticipated death match was held as scheduled, in the underground of the city's largest entertainment venue.

Inside was a ring surrounded by steel. Bright lights illuminated the stage, making every detail visible, looking like a cold, oversized birdcage.

The stage was brightly lit, but the audience seats were dim, with only the silhouettes of people vaguely visible.

Suddenly, a burst of passionate music filled the entire venue, instantly igniting the crowd's excitement. Waves of sound rose and fell in sync with the music, because… the death match was about to begin.

As usual, the death match commentator gave a passionate and lengthy introduction to the popular contestants. Every time he reached a key point, the audience would roar with excitement.

Those who could sit here were all rich and noble. At this moment, they sat in the dark corners, indulging their baser human instincts.

When the commentator introduced Ye Zi, he deliberately let out a unique mocking laugh.

"Tsk tsk, let's see if a 16-year-old Little Pudding can hit the Ghost Bear's cute face?"

"Haha…"

The venue erupted in laughter.

"Alright, enough with the nonsense. Let's welcome the two contestants!"

Creak…

The iron gates on both sides of the ring slowly rose, revealing an entrance.

Ye Zi walked out from the passage, his steps heavy as he entered the steel-encased birdcage. Looking straight ahead, a hulking man over two meters tall was bending down to pass through the entrance and step onto the stage.

In terms of size alone, this was already a fight with no suspense. For the audience, it was merely an appetizer.

Ye Zi's eyes held suppressed rage. Just as he was about to step onto the stage, he realized he'd been set up. He was new, and the opponent facing him shouldn't have been a seasoned veteran. But even knowing he was tricked, he had no choice.

Stepping onto the stage meant death.

Turning to flee also meant death.

This place was as lawless as the one he'd finally struggled to escape, except this was a city of decadent pleasures, while that was the slums, associated with every kind of filth.

Ghost Bear watched Ye Zi with cold indifference. As soon as the bell rang to start the match, he would tear Ye Zi apart at the fastest speed possible. This was his warm-up, and an appetizer for the spectators.

Ye Zi stared back at Ghost Bear with a solemn expression, the man's tall, burly physique imposing a heavy pressure on him.

Facing an opponent like this, his only hope was to use speed to maneuver and then find an opportunity to attack a weak point. That might give him a chance to win.

Ding!

The announcer hadn't even signaled the start of the match when the bell suddenly rang.

Ghost Bear, however, was already accustomed to it. The moment the bell rang, he lunged at Ye Zi like a tiger.

Ye Zi, on the other hand, was momentarily stunned but quickly reacted. By then, Ghost Bear was already upon him, his large hand tearing through the air as he swiped towards Ye Zi's head.

The tearing sound of the air was so intense that no one doubted Ghost Bear could flatten the young man's head with a single palm strike. Instantly, the crowd erupted in the first wave of **passionate cheers.

A fierce wind surged towards him. Ye Zi's eyes narrowed, and he suddenly ducked, narrowly dodging the blow. Then, using the difference in their physiques, he surged forward and threw a punch towards Ghost Bear's groin.

Ghost Bear hadn't expected Ye Zi to be so agile. Caught off guard, he couldn't defend himself in time.

Bang!

A muffled thud echoed as Ye Zi's fist landed squarely on Ghost Bear's vulnerable lower body. The male audience members in the arena instantly fell silent.

A tearing pain shot up from his lower body. Ghost Bear let out a scream, his eyes turning bloodshot. For an ordinary person, such a heavy blow would have rendered them incapacitated, but anyone who had been fighting in this ring for a long time had long since developed an extraordinary pain tolerance and wasn't defeated by this punch.

"You're asking for death!"

Such a vicious strike enraged Ghost Bear. He drew his arms in and forcefully pulled Ye Zi into his embrace.

"This is bad..."

Ye Zi hadn't expected Ghost Bear to counterattack so quickly after taking such a heavy blow to the groin. His expression changed, and just as he was about to make a move, a powerful impact struck his back.

Pfft!

The immense force sent Ye Zi's internal organs shifting. He spat out a mouthful of blood, which splattered onto Ghost Bear's abdomen, while his entire face was pressed against it.

"Oh! After delivering a stunning groin strike, the adorable Little Pudding has fallen helplessly into Ghost Bear's loving embrace. It seems Little Pudding won't even last a minute."

The ringing in his ears made Ye Zi unable to hear the sounds from the arena. His blurred vision was meaningless, as he couldn't open his eyes at all, pressed so tightly against muscles as hard as rock.

Ye Zi suddenly felt a wave of fear and coldness spread through his entire body... a feeling more terrifying than the intense pain he was experiencing.

I'm going to die...

The cold, ruthless words surfaced in his mind.

If I die here... what about Xiao Rui?

His body suddenly began to tremble violently, as if defying Ghost Bear's immense strength.

"Hmm?"

Ghost Bear sensed Ye Zi's death throes. He let out a cold laugh and increased his grip. The struggling body in his arms instantly stilled.

Endless darkness slowly engulfed Ye Zi...

The very last thing... was an image of a girl sitting propped up on a hospital bed, smiling broadly.

"Brother, when I get better, I want to eat lots and lots of snacks."

"Okay."

Splash...

A cold sensation spread from his cheeks to his entire body.

Ye Zi forced open his heavy eyelids. The first thing that met his gaze was a gloomy sky and a dense curtain of rain.

"I'm still alive?"

A faint, surprised whisper was quickly drowned out by the pattering rain. The pain from the raindrops in his eyes made him involuntarily close his eyes.

The moment he realized he was still alive, Ye Zi felt an ache in every part of his body. Despite this, he was incredibly grateful. He didn't understand why he was still alive after losing, but as long as he was alive, that was all that mattered...

Enduring the soreness throughout his body, he laboriously lifted his arm to shield himself from the cold rain pouring down from the sky. He then slowly opened his eyes. At that moment, he saw that his arm was as thin as a bamboo pole and froze.

"This is..."

Staring blankly at his arm, Ye Zi's eyes widened. His mind couldn't process it.

This wasn't his arm...!

Forgetting the soreness, he struggled to get up in the cold rain and then examined his body. A moment later, he stood dumbfounded in the downpour, letting the cold rain seep into his bones, and slowly, even the last vestiges of warmth in his heart disappeared.

He had become a child, a child whose body had become emaciated from long-term malnutrition, because he couldn't tell how old he was now.

This might have shocked and disbelieved him, perhaps even making him think it was a dream. But what he thought of most was a name – Ye Rui.

"Where is this? Where am I...?"

Ye Zi stood in the downpour, dazed, muttering to himself. His mind was a muddled mess, like it was stuffed with paste, and the real ache in his body, along with the stinging cold of the rain hitting his skin, constantly reminded him that this was no dream. This was reality.

The sky was terrifyingly gloomy, and the rain fell incessantly onto the earth. The air was thick with the scent of rain, indicating it wouldn't stop anytime soon. In Ye Zi's current physical condition, continuing to stand in the rain would surely lead to his death within a day.

Fortunately, Ye Zi had a strong will. Realizing his dangerous predicament, he prioritized survival and glanced around.

It was a small village, not very large. The buildings were arranged haphazardly, with considerable space between them.

He couldn't tell where he was, but seeing human structures brought him a sliver of relief. He looked up at the sky, then, with his weak and aching legs, walked towards the eaves of a building, finally escaping the bone-chilling rain.

He sat down, leaning against the equally cold wall, and stared blankly at the world outside the eaves. He noticed that the eaves of the buildings here generally extended outwards, and the drainage troughs on the roofs were wide. This suggested that it rained here often, and the downpours were never light.

Silently observing the village, where only the sound of rain could be heard, Ye Zi suddenly felt his mouth was very dry, and his stomach growled with hunger. More than these, the bone-deep chill was the most unbearable.

He extended his small palm, caught some rainwater, and put it in his mouth, alleviating his dry throat.

"I can't keep going like this. I need to eat."

Ye Zi endured the pain, his gaze sweeping across the street, searching for any way to find food.

Having come from the slums, he had no intention of relying on others, even though this body was terrifyingly weak.

As he pondered how to get food, he failed to notice the disharmony and strangeness within the village. It wasn't until nightfall that he realized the village's peculiar nature.

No lights!

This small village, not large in scale, was eerily silent after nightfall. Not a single light was lit.

The moon was hidden behind heavy, dark clouds, plunging the world into pitch blackness, with only the incessant sound of wind and rain.

Ye Zi looked into the endless darkness before him, rubbing his arms with his remaining strength, and finally felt fear.