Arena Betting Stall

Wang Yan rested for the entire afternoon. Aside from his wounds aching a bit, he had mostly recovered.

He didn't go to the main cafeteria, opting to eat dinner in the infirmary before returning to his cell.

It is worth mentioning that the other three had also returned. It was to be expected; Wang Yan hadn't struck with lethal force, and even with their poor physical condition, two days of rest were enough for them to recover.

Wang Yan sat on his bed, watching the three of them. Amidst the cursing of the prison guards, the trio walked in reluctantly, dragging their feet.

They had spent the whole afternoon there, so they didn't need to ask around to know what Wang Yan had done; listening to the shouting was enough. This time, the three of them realized just how brainless they had been to provoke Wang Yan.

After hesitating for a long time, they bit the bullet and walked up under Wang Yan's gaze, smiling obsequiously. "What should we call you, brother? We were ignorant before; could you give us a chance?"

"Come, come, come, all of you, stand in a line." Wang Yan ignored him and beckoned to the other two.

The two realized the reality of the situation and shuffled over to stand before Wang Yan.

"Introduce yourselves. Tell me how you got in and how long your sentences are."

The leader said, "My name is Zhang Biao." He then pointed to the one Wang Yan had knocked down with a punch: "This is Zhao Fang." He then pointed to the one Wang Yan had kicked away: "His name is Chen Zhiye."

After the introductions, Zhang Biao added, "The three of us were caught robbing and injuring people on the street. We couldn't escape and were sentenced to one year."

Wang Yan was stunned to hear they were only sentenced to a year, but upon reflection, it made sense. Hong Kong Island would be returned in a few years, and the foreigners were eager to see the island fall into chaos.

"Alright, I get it. My name is Wang Yan. From now on, I'm in charge here. Any problems?" The three shook their heads in unison.

Seeing them shake their heads, Wang Yan said, "Everything has a price. I won't beat you up." Before the three could breathe a sigh of relief, Wang Yan continued, "Go, stand facing the wall. Stay there until bedtime."

The three immediately wore bitter expressions. There were still two hours until sleep, but they reluctantly shuffled to the wall to face it.

Seeing the three of them standing crookedly, Wang Yan shouted, "Stand straight! Do I need to teach you how to do that?"

Terrified that Wang Yan would lose his temper and beat them, the three jumped at his words, straightened their bodies, and stood at attention.

Ignoring them, Wang Yan lay on his bed and opened his panel to check his stats.

Wang Yan

Stats: Strength 13

Agility 12

Constitution 14

Spirit 13

Unallocated points: 4

Seeing that his Constitution and Strength had each increased by one point, Wang Yan felt very gratified. "As expected, real combat is the fastest way to improve." Wang Yan's original Constitution and Strength were already at a critical threshold, and this single fight had pushed them up by a point. Looking at it this way, he needed to fight more; the effect was too good. Wang Yan began to look forward to tomorrow.

Wang Yan didn't know how to meditate, and he couldn't exercise, so he had to save his energy for tomorrow's battles. Sitting there doing nothing was boring.

After thinking about it, Wang Yan opened his mouth to ask Zhang Biao if he had any money. The moment the thought crossed his mind, he realized that those three were just small fry.

Abandoning the idea, Wang Yan closed his eyes to rest, organizing the Fighting knowledge he had learned in his mind.

Time passed quickly, and it was soon time for bed.

"Alright, clean up and go to sleep," Wang Yan said to the three, who were still standing stiffly.

Upon hearing this, their bodies instantly went limp. They rubbed their legs, not daring to moan or groan. They even had to pretend to be happy as they said, "Thank you, Brother Yan."

Sigh, the tragedy of small-time characters. Wang Yan didn't bother with them; he warned them to sleep quietly and then lay down to sleep.

Wang Yan slept soundly. Through their brief contact, he knew they didn't have the guts to try anything while he was asleep.

The next day, after breakfast and a short rest, work began one after another.

While working, various gangs came to recruit Wang Yan, but he rejected them all. He didn't want to be a lackey for anyone. He wanted to be the boss, the big brother.

They didn't say anything, just shook their heads and walked away. Without their protection, whether he could survive until his release was a question.

During the break, a large group of people surrounded Wang Yan. This time, the prison guards didn't just watch. Even if they were all scum, it would be very troublesome if someone was accidentally killed, so a group of guards came up to disperse the crowd.

Wang Yan looked at that massive crowd and felt afraid too. Fortunately, the guards intervened, or he would have been finished.

Now that he saw them dispersing, Wang Yan actually felt uneasy. If there wasn't a solution, he was certain they would find a way to kill him at the first opportunity. His actions last night were a challenge to the authority of Hung Hing. If they didn't deal with Wang Yan, they would lose face, and the rival gangs would laugh at them. For a gang that valued face more than anything, this was intolerable.

After thinking for a moment, Wang Yan shouted to the Hung Hing members opposite: "Hey, send someone over who can make decisions."

Regardless of the reaction from the other side, the nearby prison guards were displeased. Wang Yan had been the one fighting yesterday, and although he hadn't started it, they hadn't punished him, so they didn't have a high opinion of him. Now that Wang Yan had shouted like that, the guards thought, Oh, so you don't take us seriously, huh? The two guards looked at each other, cursed, and walked over directly. Without a word, they raised their batons and started beating him. The batons were made of special material, and they hurt like hell. Wang Yan could only cover his head and endure it, rolling on the ground to protect his vital organs.

Once the guards finished beating him and vented their anger, Wang Yan scrambled up in a sorry state to speak to them. It wasn't that he didn't want to talk before the beating, but they hadn't given him the chance.

"Officers, have you vented your anger?" Wang Yan approached them and said.

"You still dare to come over? Didn't that hurt enough?" Seeing him dare to approach, one of them started to move in to continue the beating.

Wang Yan hurriedly held his hand down: "Officer, don't be angry, just hear me out."

The guard pulled his hand hard, but when he couldn't pull it free, he gave up.

Seeing him give up, Wang Yan continued: "You two officers don't earn much, right? Even with the kickbacks from the people inside, how much can it really be? Don't you have families to support as police officers?"

"What are you trying to say?" the previous guard asked impatiently.

"Would you two like to have another source of income?" Seeing they didn't speak, Wang Yan continued: "This place is full of Guhuozi. I want to partner with Hung Hing to open a fighting ring. With a ring, there must be gambling. This would provide these energetic guys with a channel to vent, saving you from constant trouble and making your management easier, while also earning you some extra money on the side. It's a win-win situation. What do you think, officers?"

The two looked at each other, neither saying a word.

Seeing them hesitate, Wang Yan knew they weren't the ones in charge, so he said to them very considerately, "How about this: I'll talk to the Hung Hing side first. I believe it won't be long before the big brothers in the society come to contact you."

Watching them leave, Wang Yan turned his head to continue greeting the group of Hung Hing members who were watching the spectacle.

After waiting for a while, a burly man in his thirties walked over.

The man had seen Wang Yan talking to the prison guards for a long time and couldn't quite make up his mind, so he walked up to Wang Yan and said, "What's your game? You can't just slap Hung Hing in the face and expect it to be over."

Wang Yan explained, "Brother, look here. It was your people who came over to teach me the rules, so I hit them. I didn't start this, right?"

The man was clearly impatient. "Don't give me that useless crap, just tell me how you want to resolve this."

Honestly, Wang Yan was speechless at the man's reaction. I really don't get how you became a lackey if you can't even think for yourself. With muscles where his brain should be, Wang Yan had nothing to say.

Wang Yan helplessly continued, "Enmities should be resolved, not deepened. Aren't we all out here on the streets just for money?"

"I have an idea. We could partner up to set up a fighting ring and run a gambling den here."

"Instead of fighting and killing each other, why not sit down and make money together?"

"Of course, Hung Hing can't swallow this alone; we need to find two other groups to cooperate with."

"You understand what I'm saying, right?"

Seeing the man nod, Wang Yan said, "Alright, that's it. Go back and contact your boss, let them figure it out."

They were professionals at this kind of thing. These Guhuozi had rock-solid relationships with the prison guards, and they knew exactly how to arrange things from top to bottom.

Calling out to the man as he was about to leave, Wang Yan said, "Oh, one more thing. I don't care how you arrange it, I don't want much—just half a share as a fee for my idea. My sentence is only one year, so I'll only take it for one year; everything after that is yours."

"Pass my words to your big boss. Go on."

Watching the man walk away, Wang Yan found a spot to sit and rest.

From start to finish, he never asked for the man's name. It wasn't that Wang Yan was acting cool; why bother remembering someone who wouldn't last three episodes?

As for the man, he went straight to contact his big boss. They had the prison guards well-managed, so this bit of convenience was no problem at all.

When his big boss heard about it, he couldn't make the call either. He passed it up the chain to his own big boss, Tai Zi.

Tai Zi, the leader of Tsim Sha Tsui and a major figure in Hung Hing. At this time, Chen Haonan hadn't risen to power yet, and Tai Zi was recognized as the best fighter in Hung Hing.

Hearing the news, Tai Zi couldn't sit still. Opening a ring and a gambling den with a bunch of thugs in prison? That was guaranteed money.

As a major boss, Tai Zi had the aura of a leader and immediately took action without a second thought.

First, he called to ask for permission from the Hung Hing big boss, Jiang Tiansheng. It was a family-style business, and when you were eating under someone else's roof, it was only right to ask. Jiang Tiansheng, as the head of Hung Hing, had a different perspective and didn't care for such small-time business. He simply said, "Tai Zi, you've worked hard; handle this business yourself as a reward from me." That was a high-level response, and Tai Zi had to offer a round of "Thank you, Big Brother."

After reporting to his boss, Tai Zi contacted Tung Sing and Wo Lian Sheng, the two groups in Wang Yan's prison that were just as powerful as Hung Hing. Even though Hung Hing had many frictions and mutual hatred with the other two, it came back to the same thing: why are you in the underworld? Isn't it for money?

Without Wang Yan needing to say it, Tai Zi understood he couldn't handle this alone. Regardless of the amount, if there was money to be made, people would get jealous. To avoid that, he had to share a portion of the profits.

The representative from Tung Sing was Smiling Tiger, and from Wo Lian Sheng, it was Da D. After a war of words, the three divided the profits and used their connections to reach the prison's top brass.

Together, the three of them were a formidable force. Plus, with the handover approaching, many in the police force were afraid of being purged and were in a state of panic. Many were looking to grab whatever they could before retiring abroad, not caring about the chaos left behind. They smoothed things over with the prison guards very easily.

As for the half-share Wang Yan requested, they didn't say anything. Although there had been gambling in the prison for years, no one had ever thought of something like what Wang Yan proposed. Furthermore, Wang Yan was sensible and reportedly a good fighter, so it was worth building a good relationship.

Three days—or rather, two and a half days. The profits were allocated, and all the channels were opened. Even Wang Yan hadn't expected them to act so quickly.

I have to say, there were some talented people in the gangs. Wang Yan just provided the idea, and the rest was figured out by the elites of these three groups. The rules for the fights and the services provided were as comprehensive as they could be. In just these two days, they brought in many more fighters and loan sharks. They even sent in professional doctors to the infirmary, getting everything perfectly organized. Wang Yan was stunned by their efficiency; it was truly insane.

From this, one could see what the social environment was like at the time.

As the fighting ring in the prison developed, word-of-mouth among the inmates made it increasingly famous. Various gangs sent their best fighters to participate, and they even opened betting pools outside the prison, attracting more and more gamblers. Correspondingly, it brought in insane amounts of wealth. At least for the gang members, it did; Wang Yan didn't care for it.

The faster it grew and the more momentum it gained, the more it led to power struggles in the underworld, the attention of high-level police, and investigations into the prison guards by the Independent Commission Against Corruption.

I don't know what methods they used or how much money they spent, but there were some transfers among the prison guards. In short, the process was dirty, but the result was satisfying for everyone.

Wang Yan's half-share of the profits couldn't be kept, of course. Hung Hing guaranteed the sale to other people or forces. Wang Yan received his first sum of money in Hong Kong: 500,000 HKD. Accompanying that 500,000 HKD were countless bankruptcies and broken families. Regarding this, Wang Yan constantly comforted himself with the Mencius quote: "When poor, one should attend to one's own virtue."

Wang Yan sold it when it was just starting to take off; if he had dragged it out for a few more months, he could have made more. Of course, money isn't easy to take. Wang Yan was certain that if he hadn't sold it then, he would have been dead within three days. To be a big boss, you aren't stupid; they saw the potential and used both threats and inducements to force Wang Yan to give up his share. They sincerely promised that they would look after him in prison from then on.

You have to realize that at the time, a typical local boss only had a net income of about 200,000 a year—that was on the high end, and many didn't even reach that.

For a period after that, Wang Yan's life became routine. Thanks to his status as the initiator, the prison guards gave him special treatment, and he didn't have to do manual labor. Wang Yan had money, so he spent his days fighting in the ring, eating, drinking, and exercising. The rest of the time, he spent reading books that he had friendly prison guards buy for him from the outside.

With the system backing him, Wang Yan fought exceptionally hard in the ring.

At first, it was one-on-one duels with fighters from various gangs. These people mostly used street-fighting techniques, but there were also some disciples of famous masters among them, and their skills were truly quite good.

Because of the system, Wang Yan's bone and muscle density were far beyond normal, and his stamina and resistance to injury were also superior. Therefore, he fought every one of those fighters and remained undefeated.

Wang Yan also used the massive amount of practical experience to advance his Fighting ability to LV3 Professional Level.

Subsequently, Wang Yan began to consciously practice lethality and control. At first, his control wasn't very good, and those opponents suffered; the worst of them had to spend two months in the hospital.

The gambling den eventually stopped taking bets on Wang Yan. As long as Wang Yan was competing, no one would bet on his opponent. Wang Yan wouldn't cooperate with them to throw a fight, and they couldn't force him, so there was no point in opening a pool.

Wang Yan's rapid progress in fighting ability and physical fitness made him dissatisfied with one-on-one duels.

He started fighting multiple opponents at once, with wins and losses on both sides. Basically, Wang Yan was bruised and swollen every day.

Wang Yan became famous because of this. Inside and outside the prison, throughout the Hong Kong and Kowloon underworld, Wang Yan made a name for himself. People gave him the nickname "Yan Wang."

On one hand, it was based on his name; on the other, it was because Wang Yan became increasingly ruthless, to the point where they couldn't even find three people capable of fighting him anymore.

It wasn't that no one tried to take revenge. As his combat experience grew, Wang Yan protected his vital points better and better. Combined with his strong spirit and resilient body, not only did they never succeed, but they were beaten even worse by Wang Yan, unable to leave the hospital for at least half a year. Over time, no one bothered Wang Yan anymore.