Inside the villa, Guo Can's act of smashing his glass drew the attention of the others.
Liu Jinxiong chuckled softly and said as if offering consolation, "Mr. Guo, why get so angry?"
"It's only a death-row convict's slot. Don't you still have two capable men?"
"Come on, calm down. Getting worked up is bad for your health."
Luo Youyi casually clipped both ends off his cigar with a cigar cutter, then leaned back comfortably in the single-seater sofa.
Yawning, he said lazily, "If I'd known something this interesting was happening inside, I should've installed a camera in the shipping container too."
Xu Jiaqi gently swirled his red wine and clicked his tongue. "Yeah, his entire back was beaten to a pulp."
"It was probably done with bare hands, too. Just imagining it is terrifying enough."
"I have to say, Miss Zhu, you're very lucky."
"You picked such a promising fighter on your first try."
Zhu Bao'er smiled faintly.
She came from a noble background, was naturally beautiful, and had an exceptionally graceful figure.
When she raised a hand to cover her mouth as she laughed, she looked gentle and charming. "Is that so? This is my first time here, too."
Nearby, the young and beautiful rich woman Tong Peipei cast her a sidelong glance. "Bao'er, I'll pay double to transfer this person's slot to me. How about it?"
Zhu Bao'er shook her head. "Sister Peipei, you're joking. It's my first time here, and I was lucky enough to pick someone I rather like."
Tong Peipei said no more. After all, things had only just begun.
The villa fell quiet again.
Of the six people present, Liu Jinxiong and Luo Youyi had come to watch the excitement, while the other four had come to support their respective fighters.
Each of them had bought a death-row convict's slot from Stanley Prison.
The King of Home Appliances, Guo Can, was backing Xu Shao.
The real-estate tycoon Xu Jiaqi was backing Du Youbang of Fu Yi.
The young and beautiful rich woman Tong Peipei was backing the burly Lu Zhengyang.
And Zhu Bao'er, Sir Zhu's daughter who had returned from studying abroad, had chosen Song Ren.
Because of the special status of death-row convicts, it was impossible to have them fight their way up from the middle and lower levels of the boxing arena.
After all, there were simply too many spectators in the middle and lower levels, making it difficult to prevent unexpected incidents from being exposed.
Therefore, death-row convicts from Stanley Prison were usually selected here for direct entry into the top level.
At the same time, the surveillance projection on the wall accurately switched over.
A barren mountain completely enclosed by wire fencing.
After the driver brought Song Ren and the other two to the entrance of the fence, he briefly explained the assessment rules.
The three of them had to remain on this barren mountain for at least six hours.
After six hours, anyone who successfully made it out would receive an entry ticket granting direct access to the top-level boxing arena.
Taking advantage of the bright moonlight, Song Ren raised his head and looked at the sparsely vegetated barren mountain.
He could almost see the summit at a glance. Yet under the night sky, the entire mountain looked somewhat eerie.
But that was all.
If they merely had to stay here for six hours, it would be far too easy.
Clearly, the assessment couldn't be that simple.
Lu Zhengyang and Du Youbang also looked around, soon withdrawing their gazes.
Du Youbang's expression darkened slightly. "What's up there?"
Even an idiot could tell that an assessment couldn't have no difficulty at all.
The driver looked at the three of them with amusement before saying, "Tigers, leopards, lions, bears."
By the time he had finished spitting out the words one by one, Lu Zhengyang's expression had completely changed.
Du Youbang's face darkened as well.
Fighting large beasts bare-handed—did they think they were Wu Song from some old tale? Were they tired of living?
But then the driver suddenly laughed. "Sorry, I was only joking."
"How could there be beasts of that level?"
Only after hearing this did they relax somewhat.
However, their gazes toward the driver now held a fractured edge.
The man was clearly toying with them.
The driver changed tack. "However, although there won't be any large beasts, the situation may not be much better."
"After you officially enter this barren mountain, you'll have half an hour to prepare. After that, we'll send out specially trained attack dogs. Using personal items from each of you, we'll have them track you down."
"No matter what methods you use, as long as you safely avoid them for six hours and successfully make it down, you'll receive an entry ticket to the top-level boxing arena."
"If you can't evade them, or if anything else happens, then all I can say is—I'm sorry."
Lu Zhengyang knitted his brows tightly and asked the crucial question. "How many?"
The driver glanced at him, paused for a moment, and said, "Each person will be assigned two as a welcoming gift."
"..." Lu Zhengyang's expression immediately turned even uglier.
Handling attack dogs bare-handed was manageable if there was only one.
But if two well-trained attack dogs acted together, it would be nearly impossible for one person to escape unscathed by relying on strength alone.
Du Youbang asked calmly, "Will you provide weapons?"
Fighting bare-handed and fighting with a weapon were two entirely different concepts. If he had to deal with two attack dogs bare-handed on a barren mountain with almost no cover, then even if he won the fight, he would probably be badly injured.
With a weapon, however, the result would be entirely different.
The driver said nothing. Instead, he pulled three black Claw Knives from inside his coat.
Song Ren included, all three of them couldn't help frowning.
The Claw Knife was quite popular among close-combat weapons.
Its defining feature was its small size, which made it easy to conceal and carry.
Its curved blade also made it far more effective at cutting and slicing than an ordinary dagger.
It was mainly used against weak points on the human body, such as the neck and arteries.
Its performance in actual combat was extremely terrifying, especially when used to slit throats.
But its shortcomings were obvious as well. Because the blade was short and wide, combined with its curved design, it was very ineffective for thrusting or stabbing straight through.
Adult attack dogs were generally thick-skinned and tough-fleshed. Using a Claw Knife to deal with one at close range would be scarcely safer than fighting bare-handed.
Clearly, the other side wanted to see bloodshed.
Song Ren said nothing. They had no room to choose.
He casually picked up a Claw Knife, then raised his head. "Would you mind telling us what breeds we'll be dealing with?"
The driver nodded. "Sure. They're Dob—"
He suddenly stopped halfway through, then pressed a finger against the Bluetooth earpiece at his ear. Finally, he looked up at Song Ren with a strange expression.
"The other two will be dealing with adult Dobermans."
"As for you, because you killed Mr. Guo's man, he temporarily raised the stakes and changed yours to an adult pit bull."
"Hmm, the number has also been increased by one. You'll be facing three."
"Correspondingly, if you can make it out unharmed, then in addition to the entry ticket you're guaranteed to receive, there will also be an extra one-million-yuan bonus."
Song Ren said nothing. He merely glanced toward the detached villa.