Thud.
The moment they heard the verdict, Red Hair and Baldy's legs buckled in the veterans' camp below the ring. As if their spines had been pulled out, they collapsed to the floor.
Their faces were white as paper, their eyes filled with the despair of men who had lost everything.
That was a full 200 Military Merit Points!
It was everything their group had scraped together through frugal living and hard fighting. Now it was all gone. They had lost every last point!
As the referee's final verdict echoed through the ring, the underground armored warehouse seemed to split into two worlds: one of grief, the other of joy.
On the veterans' side, misery was everywhere.
The veterans who had thrown everything they owned behind Scar at the last moment, hoping for a safe payout, were sick with regret.
Some clutched their hair and cursed at the top of their lungs. Others sank onto the cold metal floor, their legs weak and their faces ashen.
Red Hair and Baldy's faces twitched as though their souls had left their bodies.
Not only had they lost everything, down to their last pair of underwear, but they had also lost all the dignity and authority they held as veterans in front of the entire recruit camp!
Across from them, the recruits erupted in celebration.
"Brother Jiang, you're incredible! Shen Qing, you're incredible!"
Countless recruits raised their fists and shouted themselves hoarse, their faces flushed with excitement.
This was far more than a victory in an underground match. Jiang Yue's stunning Inch Power strike had shattered the aura of invincibility the veterans had long enjoyed on Floating Land No. 17!
Every recruit knew exactly what it meant. After tonight's bloody show of strength, they would have far more say in the Grey Zone of this floating land!
If the veterans wanted to push them around again or set up another shameless betting trap, they would first have to ask themselves whether their bones were as tough as Scar's!
Tonight's fight was sure to keep the recruits talking for a long time.
"Quiet."
From the second-floor stands, Butcher's deep voice, backed by the pressure of a high-level Martial Artist, drowned out the uproar through the speakers.
He waved a hand. One of his trusted men immediately carried a Military Merit Terminal with the highest transfer authorization into the ring to settle the enormous wager on the spot.
"By the rules of my underground Black Boxing Arena, the winner takes all!"
Looking down at the crowd, Butcher calmly announced how the points would be divided. "Shen Qing's side gets back the full 200 points they staked! They also take the veterans' 200-point stake!"
Red Hair and Baldy closed their eyes in pain.
Butcher paused, a merchant's smile curling his lips. "And since this five-match, winner-takes-all wager was the only one tonight, the betting volume was huge. I made a tidy commission myself.
"So, as an appearance fee for the winners..."
"On top of those 400 points, I'll pay another 200!"
A collective gasp swept the room.
A 200-point appearance fee!
Added to the stake they had won, that meant this one little ring had produced a net profit of 400 points tonight!
It was enough wealth to drive any Quasi-Martial Artist mad with envy!
While the crowd was still marveling, Shen Qing staggered up to Jiang Yue, supported by two recruits, his arms twisted and broken beyond use.
Blood soaked his whole body, and his face was white as paper, but his bloodshot eyes were unusually clear.
"Help me with the terminal."
Shen Qing turned to the recruit supporting him. The recruit hurriedly pulled up Shen Qing's military merit account.
"Transfer the entire 200-point stake we won from the veterans to Jiang Yue."
Shen Qing gritted his teeth against the agony of his broken bones, but his voice was decisive. "And split the 200-point appearance fee Butcher gave us. Send him 100."
Beep—
As soon as the transfer went through, the terminal on Jiang Yue's wrist chimed. He looked down. His account balance had jumped by a full 300 Military Merit Points!
Several recruits watching nearby were taken aback.
After all, Shen Qing had risked his life in the first four of tonight's five matches and had even lost the use of his arms.
They had expected an argument over the winnings. Instead, Shen Qing had handed Jiang Yue the vast majority of the profit without hesitation!
"You nearly died in those first four matches."
Jiang Yue looked up at Shen Qing's battered figure, his voice calm. "You're giving me the larger share. Even with your original stake returned, you've only made 100 points from the appearance fee. You're getting the worse deal."
"I'm not."
Shen Qing gave a pained smile and met Jiang Yue's eyes. "If you hadn't turned things around in the fifth match, I'd have lost all 200 points I saved up and gone into debt for medical treatment."
"Worse, without points to buy resources, these broken arms of mine would take at least dozens of days to heal! That would cost me a crucial period of growth in my martial arts."
Shen Qing took a deep breath and said earnestly, "That punch didn't just save my stake. It saved my future as a martial artist. You've earned those 300 points."
Jiang Yue looked into Shen Qing's stubborn eyes and felt a faint stir in his heart.
They were not quite the same kind of person, but they were alike in one respect: neither was good with words.
Shen Qing was even more stubborn, the sort who held fast to what he believed was right.
False modesty and empty courtesies would only insult someone like him.
Besides, Jiang Yue knew how badly he needed these resources.
"Thanks."
Jiang Yue said nothing more and accepted the points. "I won't forget this."
Shen Qing grinned, then sucked in a sharp breath as the movement tugged at his wounds. Yet as the two recruits supported him, his eyes shone brighter than ever.
Jiang Yue did not linger in the roaring underground arena.
He bent to pick up his black Training Uniform and draped it over his shoulders. With the recruits watching him in awe and fervor as though he were a monster, he turned and walked into the passage leading to the surface.
Dim sensor lights came on one after another down the passage.
As he walked, Jiang Yue gently rubbed the Military Terminal on his wrist.
Three hundred points!
If he spent it all on Exotic Beast Meat, this windfall would give him a tremendous boost on his martial arts path.
At least I won't have to worry about resources for a long time.
I have to make even more progress before the next assessment... At the very least, I have to move faster than everyone else.
Before you continue