Tiger

"Shit, I haven't seen a fight this thrilling in ages!"

"You're telling me? Two heads got smashed in the first two bouts! Damn! Too bad I can't afford a seat up front, or I'd be having the time of my life!"

"Ugh, Brother Yao! My poor Brother Yao!"

"Thunder Dragon's got a real sense of humor. Wasn't today supposed to be Zhang Yao's big promotion fight? They said he was going to challenge a mysterious contracted fighter, and then he gets his head smashed in during the second bout! What the hell?"

"That just proves Thunder Dragon knows how to put on a show. You didn't see that coming, did you?"

"Shit, it had to be a fixed fight! My money!"

"Hey, waiter, another Opening Red!"

The atmosphere in the bar was electric. Many spectators watched until their mouths went dry and kept ordering more drinks. Waiters in vests weaved through the crowd with trays, rushing back and forth.

In a private room on the top floor.

Zhou Hu stood before the one-way glass, looking down over the entire bar. His thick knuckles tapped against the glass again and again. His face gave nothing away, and no one could tell what he was thinking.

At his feet, a disheveled woman lay slumped on the floor, sobbing and retching, as if she had been shattered to pieces.

The door to the private room opened, and the burly Yu Feng squeezed inside. He looked at Zhou Hu's back. Whether the woman was exposed or pitiful, he didn't so much as glance at her.

"You just said..."

Zhou Hu spoke slowly.

"That guy wasn't much of a fighter?"

He turned around, his gaze deep and inscrutable.

"But he smashed Zhang Yao to pieces with one hand."

The woman's sobs grew louder.

Yu Feng replied calmly, "I didn't expect it either."

"Who could have? The star of the night died in the second bout, and in a way like that. My whole plan's a mess."

Zhou Hu shook his head repeatedly.

"I never expected it either. No matter how you looked at it, Zhang Yao was one of the top Official Fighters. And then look at this guy... What was his name again?"

"Chen Chong."

"Oh, right. Chen Chong. He took a punch and a kick from Zhang Yao without even budging. Is he a damn mountain? Even I wouldn't have done much better up there, would I?"

Zhou Hu's voice rose. A glint flashed in his eyes as he enunciated every word.

"And you still said he wasn't much of a fighter?"

Yu Feng fell silent for a moment.

After all, only minutes ago, he'd thought the outcome of the fight was already settled.

Before entering the private room, he'd been just as shaken as Zhou Hu was now—if not more.

He was the one who'd taught Chen Chong to fight, and he'd watched him train for days.

Fast progress and exceptional talent—that had been his assessment. He hadn't realized that even that had been an underestimate, right under his nose.

His Bone Tempering progress, his use of the Breathing Method, and that unbelievable ability to take a beating... None of it had been anything he'd expected.

He'd thought Chen Chong was just a shooting star, flashing a few times in some corner of the Wasteland before falling, noticed only by the corner of his eye.

But it seemed the fire that belonged to Chen Chong had only just begun to burn.

This wasn't a shooting star.

Yu Feng had genuinely stood frozen in the stands for two minutes before thinking to come report.

He spoke slowly.

"He made a lot of progress over the past two days."

Zhou Hu let out a scoff.

"Is this the kind of thing you can chalk up to two days of progress?"

"Before joining the company, he had some foundation. He'd probably encountered the Breathing Method, but hadn't learned how to use it. After I taught him the Breathing Method these past few days, he made decent progress. But even before he stepped into the ring, I had no idea he was this good."

Yu Feng spoke evenly. He thought for a moment, then added, "I think something set him off."

Zhou Hu's expression eased. He gave a slight nod and muttered, "Dumbass. You made him go berserk..."

After thinking for a moment, he asked, "That technique for absorbing force was something else. You went to Lichuan this time, right? Where did he train before? Could he have had an expert for a master?"

"I asked him. He was an ordinary person. Why would someone with a proper lineage come through our doors?"

"True. Everything's been carefully arranged. Maybe he was lucky... Or maybe he wasn't."

Zhou Hu leaned back against the sofa, his voice low.

"Bring him to see me."

Yu Feng glanced at him, then turned and left.

The woman suddenly threw her arms around Zhou Hu's leg and wailed, "Brother Hu, Brother Hu, you have to avenge Zhang Yao! He's my only younger brother, and now he was—was... Ugh! Brother Hu, I want him dead! I want his whole family dead! Twist his head off too!"

"Don't worry."

Zhou Hu patted the woman's head, comforted her for a few moments, then called two waitresses to take her away to rest.

The private room door closed. Not long afterward, it opened again.

Yu Feng came in with Chen Chong.

Chen Chong looked at the burly man on the sofa: spiky white hair, a leather vest with nothing underneath, exaggerated pectoral muscles like granite, and tattooed arms thicker than most people's thighs.

Zhou Hu, Thunder Dragon's second-in-command.

Zhou Hu looked him over, then glanced behind him.

"Old Yu, what are you still standing there for?"

Yu Feng paused, then slowly walked out and closed the door behind him.

In an instant, only Chen Chong and Zhou Hu remained in the private room, and the atmosphere grew heavy.

Zhou Hu crossed his legs, the tip of his foot twitching over and over.

"You're pretty tough. You know Zhang Yao's sister is with me, right?"

"Yes," Chen Chong replied evenly.

"You know, and you still dared to do it?"

Zhou Hu's voice turned icy in an instant.

Chen Chong felt those two gazes press down on him like something tangible. He took a deep breath and said, "There was no point surrendering. I had no choice."

Zhou Hu nodded.

"That kid was an idiot. But—"

He changed tack, his smile laced with mockery.

"You weren't telling the truth, either. Even if surrendering would've helped, you never planned to let him go. You stepped into that ring intending to kill him."

Chen Chong remained silent.

Zhou Hu uncrossed his legs and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

"His sister told me to twist your head off too. I like his sister.

"Besides, Zhang Yao was the next Contracted Fighter I'd lined up. He was popular, and I had plenty more plans for him. You just ruined everything. Who knows how much money that'll cost me?

"So tell me, how should we settle this? Your hands? Your feet? Or... your head?"

Chen Chong felt those sharp eyes rake over his body without restraint, as if a real blade were carving into him. His muscles tensed despite himself.

"What, you want to fight me?"

Zhou Hu gave a disdainful laugh, stood up, and strode over to Chen Chong. He pounded his chest, making it thump.

"Come on, hit me right here!"

Chen Chong fought down the urge to attack. Zhou Hu took another two steps closer, nearly pressing his whole body against him. His massive shadow swallowed Chen Chong completely.

"Hit me! Weren't you so tough just now? Why'd you stop? I'm telling you to hit me, and you still won't?"

Zhou Hu suddenly roared.

It was like a tiger was bellowing right next to Chen Chong's ear. His head spun, his ears filled with a buzzing sound, and even the whole private room seemed to shake.

Chen Chong clenched his fists, forcing down the urge to attack as Zhou Hu sprayed spit all over his face.

The crushing pressure at such close range nearly made him want to fight back or flee, but he had a strange premonition: he was like prey already caught in a tiger's jaws. The moment he moved, it would all be over.

When Chen Chong said nothing, Zhou Hu suddenly dropped the act, gave a derisive snort, and walked back to sit down.

The private room fell quiet. Then came the soft scrape of pen on paper—

Zhou Hu picked up a form and signed it, then casually flicked it across the table.

"Take that to Manager Guo at the bar. You'll have a fight scheduled in three days."

Chen Chong looked at the form that had drifted to his feet, picked it up, and raised an eyebrow.

"You don't have to be a Warm-up Fighter anymore. For now, you'll get the same terms Zhang Yao did. Whether you can get more depends on how you perform."

Zhou Hu picked up a cigar, lit it, and put it in his mouth.

Pale blue smoke drifted upward, hiding his expression and making his gaze seem even deeper.

"Do you understand?"

"I understand," Chen Chong replied with a nod. Then he added, "I don't get it."

Zhou Hu smiled, reached out with his long arm, and opened the window. The noise from outside immediately poured in, clear as day.

"What don't you get? Listen to that—hear how lively it is out there! Thanks to that kick you gave him, the bar's going to make who knows how much more on drinks tonight. And it's been ages since a Warm-up Fighter toppled an Official Fighter, especially when Zhang Yao was supposed to rank up. Even the old gamblers knew how things were supposed to go, but... the house is going to make a fortune tonight!"

Zhou Hu laughed heartily.

"I think you've got potential. Maybe you'll be the next big star! Heh, all that woman's talk is just to placate her. Why would I sacrifice a rising star for her?

"But I've let you off the hook, so you need to prove you're worth it. Three days from now is your chance."

Zhou Hu gave him a meaningful look.

"Otherwise, I'll hold you responsible for what happened tonight."

He waved his hand casually, signaling that Chen Chong could leave. After Chen Chong closed the door behind him, Zhou Hu leaned back on the sofa, the cigar between his fingers glowing and dimming.

After a while, he suddenly stood up and went into the inner room. He felt along the wall for a moment, then opened a hidden compartment.

Inside was a black safe. He turned the complicated three-layer combination lock, and only after a while did he manage to open it. Carefully, he pulled open the safe door, revealing a silver briefcase about the size of a document bag.

The Silver Box was made of some strange material, as if it were somewhere between metal and plastic. It was exquisitely crafted, with no seams anywhere on its exterior, as though it had been made from a single piece—yet it was clearly some kind of container.

At a glance, it was obvious that something like this didn't belong in the Wasteland.

The black safe itself already seemed out of place here, but compared with what it held, it still felt like it was from a different era.

A spark lit up in Zhou Hu's eyes. He stared at the briefcase for a while and reached out to touch it, but stopped himself.

In the end, he locked the safe again, carefully restored the hidden compartment, and made sure there wasn't a single thing out of place.

Yet he couldn't help thinking of the fight he'd just watched, of Chen Chong standing firm as a mountain. Rubbing his chin, he sank into thought.