We need exact 91 paras. Count input paragraphs split blank. Need preserve ellipses as paras. Translate. Title. Ensure 91. Output paragraphs map.Fighting Club, Fighters

The heavy iron door clanged as someone slid open the long metal slot used for ventilation.

"Brother Yuan, you're early today."

When he saw a familiar face, the wariness in his eyes faded.

With the sound of the bolt sliding back, a hulking man appeared behind the door.

Baldy had a tattoo on his neck and wore a short-sleeved denim jacket and studded leather pants.

He looked every bit like a stereotypical gangster—if you didn't hear his gentle voice.

What a big, burly teddy bear!

Qin Shi was taken aback. Man, you're built like a grizzly bear brought to life.

But you sound like a kitten mewing. That's quite a contrast.

Li Yuan smiled and said:

"Brother Yu said there's going to be a show tonight. It's a big production, so he told A'cheng and me to be on top of things and not show up late."

Baldy scratched his head, looking utterly harmless despite his appearance. He said in a simple, honest tone:

"Right. Brother Yu's been preparing for ages. He even brought in lighting technicians, a host, and sign girls from the Metropolitan Area. You'd better hurry inside, Brother Yuan. If Brother Yu doesn't see you later, he'll start yelling again."

His broad, muscular frame, like a rugby goalkeeper's, shifted aside, and Li Yuan and Xie Yucheng filed in.

"Hey, Brother Yuan, why are you bringing someone in through the back door?"

Noticing the unfamiliar, delicate-looking young man, Baldy quickly stopped them and shook his head apologetically.

"He's not from the Midnight Palace, is he? That's against the rules."

Li Yuan turned around.

"He's my classmate. The Midnight Palace has been hiring a lot lately. The last time Brother Ze treated us to drinks, he told A'cheng and me to ask around among our friends. If we knew any reliable guys, we could recommend them for a job here.

"A Shi studies boxing with me, and he's a smart guy. Brother Ze will definitely like him!"

Li Yuan had given a solid reason. Baldy took another look at Qin Shi. He had delicate features and a scholarly air, like a well-behaved student.

With a pair of glasses, he'd look like a top student from a wealthy family in the Metropolitan Area.

"Oh, I see. All right, then. Make sure you get him a uniform, or he'll stand out too much."

"Don't worry, Brother Yuan's got it covered! I'll treat you to dinner sometime, Sister Hua!"

Xie Yucheng pressed his palms together and thanked Baldy with a grin for letting them through.

"Why'd you call him Sister Hua?"

They walked down a narrow hallway, just wide enough for two people side by side, and turned into the Midnight Palace staff locker room. Qin Shi asked in a low voice.

"Baldy's real name is Niu Aihua. He likes raising flowers and plants and feeding kittens and stuff. The old-timers who've been with Brother Ze longer tease him for being like a woman, so they call him Sister Hua.

"He doesn't mind the nickname either, so everyone's gotten used to calling him that."

Xie Yucheng changed into a white shirt, black vest, trousers, and leather shoes, then tied on a red bow tie.

In an instant, he'd gone from a senior at No. 9 Vocational Middle School to a nightclub waiter.

"You're pretty tall, so wear this one. A Shi, don't think this is a bad place to work. We just serve fruit platters and drinks. You can make close to a hundred yuan a night, and if you're lucky enough to get a generous customer, the tips alone could be a few hundred."

Li Yuan took a uniform from a locked metal locker but held it without handing it over just yet.

"Brother Ze's a good guy. Get to know him, and you can work here whenever you have time.

"Of course, if you don't like this kind of place, that's fine too..."

Qin Shi took the uniform and quickly put it on.

"I've been looking for work! I quit my part-time job at the gym so I could afford Old Liang's tutoring classes. All I have left is the day-to-day work at the Youth Palace.

"Being a waiter's better than working the front desk. At least I'll get to move around. No need to be polite about it. When payday comes, I'll treat Brother Yuan and Brother Cheng to a feast at Li Ji Food Stall behind Ninth High School! Their stir-fry is amazing!"

Xie Yucheng stifled a laugh.

"What are you talking about? The owner's Brother Yuan's dad."

Qin Shi froze.

"Huh?"

Seeing that Qin Shi showed no sign of contempt or distance, Li Yuan relaxed. His regard for Qin Shi grew, and he said with a chuckle:

"After my parents were laid off, they tried working at a few small factories, but none of the jobs lasted long. The owners all ran off.

"Then they figured you couldn't just let yourself get pushed around by fate, so they bought a tricycle and worked from dawn to dusk selling boxed meals.

"After saving for several years, they finally got a storefront and started serving the neighborhood.

"Next time you come to eat, tell them you're my classmate, and ask my little brother to give you extra rice."

"An explosive show! A thrilling performance! Get your blood pumping!"

"Fighting Club—soft opening in one week!"

"Fist meets flesh! Unleash your wild side..."

Several garish posters were plastered along the hallway. Huge, artistic lettering surrounded sexy sign girls, catching the eyes of passersby.

"This is tonight's show. Brother Ze hired a lot of fighters and plans to put on underground boxing matches to draw in more bosses."

Li Yuan and Qin Shi stood in a corner, like lackeys waiting to be summoned.

The Midnight Palace was lavishly decorated, with an enormous hall and ceilings seven or eight meters high.

A winding staircase divided it into two levels, lined with private rooms.

It didn't look like the kind of place that belonged on Old Factory Street.

The thought popped into Qin Shi's head.

"Boxing matches? Is there prize money?"

He asked casually.

"Of course! I think it's two hundred thousand... It's not easy money, though. These aren't sanctioned matches, and without any restrictions, you can get seriously hurt or crippled."

Li Yuan spoke with lingering fear, as though he'd witnessed some kind of bloody scene firsthand.

"Brother Ze puts on bare-knuckle fights here. Once you step into the ring, nobody cares if someone gets killed.

"Everyone has to follow the rules. No police reports, no stirring up trouble. At most, they'll give the family some compensation and funeral money."

Qin Shi's eyelid twitched.

"That brutal? Could you really kill someone with your bare hands?"

Li Yuan nodded.

"A Shi, you don't know—North Pass Street used to be a real mess. People ran protection rackets, acted as pimps and put girls out on the street, or lured people into sweatshops and sold them into forced labor. There was all kinds of rotten business.

"So, over time, gangs formed and set a few rules. When harvest season came around each year, the big shots would sit down together and divide up the territory. Everyone made money in peace."

Brother Yuan, don't tell me your boss is in the Hung Hing gang.

The more Qin Shi heard, the more it sounded like the gangster movies he'd watched in his previous life.

He quietly studied his surroundings and spotted several hulking men in black suits guarding the staircase to the second floor.

They all had the same tattoo on the backs of their hands: a black fist clenched tight.

"Those are the Big Boss's bodyguards. A few years ago, the Big Boss set up the Righteous Fist Society and hired a lot of fighters. I heard Brother Ze used to fight in the ring too. The Big Boss admired him, so he gave him the Midnight Palace, the biggest venue on North Pass Street."

Li Yuan knew a lot, which showed he'd already made himself at home here.

"The Righteous Fist Society..."

Qin Shi silently committed the name to memory, then asked:

"Why hire fighters? To train bodyguards?"

Li Yuan hesitated, glanced around, then lowered his voice.

"They train 'fighters'—people who go into the ring to fight underground matches. There are a lot of territories and gangs on Old Factory Street. They kept fighting among themselves until the bosses couldn't do business, so in the end they just settled things with boxing.

"I heard Sister Hua say Brother Ze made a name for himself because the Big Boss had a run-in with some outsider. Brother Ze volunteered to draw lots for a fight to the death and won the match, saving the Big Boss's face and earning him a fortune."

Qin Shi finally understood why Li Yuan and Xie Yucheng were working so hard to learn boxing and develop their Life Force in tutoring classes.

Unlike the other students, who planned to go down into the mines and make money, they saw another way out when Brother Ze of the Righteous Fist Society came along.

Being a gangster won't get you anywhere, Brother Yuan. With your brains and personality, you'd be no more than a fall guy—and you'd still need a chance to find a boss willing to take you under his wing.

Qin Shi didn't think much of Li Yuan and Xie Yucheng's choice.

But from their perspective, for boys born on Old Factory Street who couldn't get into a good university, this was indeed their only chance to get ahead.

Good thing I have other options. I can charge toward a much broader horizon.

Qin Shi felt fortunate. If he hadn't gotten into New No. 1 Middle School in the Tai'an Metropolitan Area, and if he hadn't unlocked the Monument and started learning Old Martial Arts from Old Liang,

perhaps he too would have been unable to escape this cruel fate, tossed about like a weed in the wind!