The Fight

When they returned to the hotel, Zhang Shuai and Huang Tianli waited in their room while Situ Changtian went to arrange the underground fight.

Zhang Shuai could tell that after he had shown off his strength, Situ Changtian had become much more enthusiastic about the fight. That was no surprise. Nobody turned down a chance to make money. With Zhang Shuai's abilities, he was sure to win, and Situ Changtian would earn a handsome commission for every match. Of course he'd be eager.

After they had waited at the hotel for two hours, Situ Changtian finally returned with good news.

"Brother Zhang, there's a fight tonight at seven thirty. The prize is two hundred thousand dollars. Your opponent is a fighter from Bear Country named Mikhail. He's fought twelve matches at the underground arena, with a record of nine wins and three losses. Today's matches were all arranged yesterday, but Mikhail's scheduled opponent had an accident, and it's hard to find a replacement at such short notice. So I've signed you up with the organizers, and they've agreed. Get ready, and I'll take you to the underground arena at six thirty sharp. Sound good?"

Zhang Shuai looked at Huang Tianli. "Director Huang, we agreed to split the prize money fifty-fifty. That means I should get one hundred thousand of the two hundred thousand, right?"

Huang Tianli understood what Zhang Shuai meant and smiled. "Don't worry. You'll get the hundred thousand you're owed. As for how Situ Changtian and I split our share, that's between us. We've already worked it out, so you don't need to worry. And when the time comes, we'll convert your prize money directly into Dragon Kingdom currency and transfer it to your bank card."

That put Zhang Shuai at ease. He had come to Beautiful Country to make money, so they had to settle how the prize money would be divided in advance to avoid any arguments later.

Then Situ Changtian took out a stack of printed documents, intending to give Zhang Shuai some basic information about his upcoming opponent, Mikhail, including his preferred attacks and weaknesses. He had only just started when Zhang Shuai waved him off. "Brother Situ, there's no need to tell me all that. I don't care who my opponent is. Just arrange as many fights as you can over the next six days, and we can all make more money."

Situ Changtian laughed and tossed the documents aside. "Fair enough. With your skills, you should be able to win no matter who you face. But I can only arrange this one fight for today. Tomorrow's matches can only be arranged tomorrow. Underground fights aren't like other competitions. They can only schedule one match at a time, because no one can guarantee a fighter will still be alive to compete again after a fight."

Zhang Shuai replied confidently, "I'm sure I can keep fighting!"

Situ Changtian gave a wry smile. "No matter how good you are, I can arrange at most two fights a day. If you fight ten matches and win every one, you'll run out of opponents. No one will dare fight you. Two matches a day is the limit."

He wasn't wrong. Zhang Shuai might not have much experience in the ways of the world, but he could understand that much.

At six thirty, Situ Changtian took Zhang Shuai and Huang Tianli to the underground arena.

The underground arena was on the hotel's basement level. When they took the elevator down, they found that most of the floor was a parking lot, but a large section in the middle had been enclosed by thick iron plates. A huge metal door stood at the entrance, with a smaller door set into its center. Two burly white men sat on stools guarding it.

When the two white men saw Situ Changtian and his companions, they stood up. They clearly knew Situ Changtian. One of them said, "Hey, Situ. You can go in, but your friends need tickets."

"They're the fighters for the match later. One of them is up against Mikhail."

Hearing that one of them was a fighter, the white man stood up and searched all three of them. Once he had confirmed they weren't carrying weapons, he let them through.

Inside the door was a narrow passage. Zhang Shuai could already hear bursts of shouting. The people were yelling in a foreign language he didn't understand, but the atmosphere sounded lively.

Then Zhang Shuai saw a bar. Its neon sign was written in foreign letters, which he couldn't read either. When he had taught himself back in the countryside, he'd never imagined that someone like him would get the chance to go abroad, so he'd never learned a foreign language.

He followed Situ Changtian into the bar. Music was playing, and every kind of liquor lined the shelves behind the counter. Nearly all the customers had gathered around a fighting ring in the center, enclosed by an octagonal steel cage. There were Black, white, and Asian people, men and women alike, all crowding around the cage and shouting excitedly.

The atmosphere was electric. Zhang Shuai had never been anywhere like this.

At that moment, inside the cage, a burly Black man was locked in a fierce fight with a young Asian man.

The fight was brutal. Both men were injured and bloodied.

The young Asian man was clearly weaker than the Black fighter. A gash on his forehead was still bleeding, and his face was swollen and misshapen. His injuries seemed severe enough to leave him unsteady on his feet. But the Black fighter was also nearly out of strength. Their fierce exchange had probably drained them both, and they were panting heavily.

Situ Changtian had told Zhang Shuai that the underground fights here had no rules. There were no referees and no protective gear. The two fighters were locked in the cage until one of them fell or gave up.

That made these underground fights bloody and brutal. Fighters were often beaten to death.

Fights like these were almost unheard of in the Dragon Kingdom, where the law was strict. But this was the criminal underworld of Beautiful Country, where a death or two was no big deal. Those who fought in these matches were usually nobodies: gangsters or desperate people drowning in debt with nothing to lose. Their lives were worth little to Beautiful Country. For the underground arena's organizers, a fighter's death could cause some trouble, but as long as they covered it up, the government generally wouldn't get involved.

Just then, the Black fighter moved. He stepped forward and charged the young Asian man, swinging his massive fist. The young man was probably exhausted and a little slow to react. He couldn't dodge in time, and the Black fighter's fist slammed into his face.

The sudden attack sent the spectators around the cage roaring with excitement.

At that moment, Zhang Shuai even heard the bones in the young Asian man's nose crack under the Black fighter's punch. Blood sprayed through the air.

The next moment, the young man collapsed flat on his back, his body twitching. From the side, Zhang Shuai could see that his face was completely deformed. His nose was crooked, and his whole face was covered in blood.

It was clear that the young Asian man was no longer able to fight back.

Even after the young man had fallen and stopped moving, the Black fighter remained cautious. He walked over and nudged him with his foot. Only after confirming that the young man was unconscious did he stop attacking. Then he shouted a few words to the host outside the cage, who was wearing a white shirt.

The host nodded and announced the Black fighter's victory. The crowd erupted in cheers. Soon, the host took out a key and unlocked the cage door. Several staff members carried a stretcher inside and took away the unconscious young Asian fighter.