Mikhail

As the boxing match concluded, the bar patrons returned to their seats, gathering in small groups to drink. The host announced that the next match would begin in forty minutes, featuring Mikhail from the Great Mao Kingdom against Zhang Shuai from the Dragon Kingdom.

Upon hearing that Mikhail was set to compete, the patrons erupted into excited cheers. It was clear that many were familiar with him; having fought in this underground arena numerous times, Mikhail was considered a star athlete, and many were eagerly anticipating his appearance.

Zhang Shuai was visiting such a venue for the first time, and since the patrons were speaking in a foreign language he couldn't understand, he looked around with the curiosity of a child. Many of the customers had flushed faces, whether from the stimulation of alcohol or the lingering fervor of the match they had just witnessed. The noisy environment of the bar made Zhang Shuai feel somewhat uncomfortable; it was simply too loud.

Situ Changtian took a phone call and spoke a few words in a foreign language that Zhang Shuai couldn't grasp, though he guessed it was likely the match organizers checking in. After hanging up, Situ Changtian led Zhang Shuai and Huang Tianli into a private room in the bar.

Inside the room, Situ Changtian explained the rules of the underground boxing matches to Zhang Shuai, including several details he needed to be mindful of.

At that moment, a series of shouts and whistles suddenly erupted from outside.

Situ Changtian laughed suddenly and said, "Alright, I won't say much more. With your strength, you are bound to win. Since there's still some time before the match, go ahead and watch the main event. You certainly wouldn't see a show like this back home. Hehe, broaden your horizons..."

Zhang Shuai was puzzled. What kind of show was Situ Changtian talking about?

Soon, Huang Tianli pulled Zhang Shuai out of the room. In the octagonal iron cage in the center of the bar, two young, naked women were performing a wrestling act.

One woman was a white blonde with blue eyes, while the other was a dark-haired Asian. Both had excellent figures—ample busts, wide hips, and slender waists. They were currently grappling intensely, their breasts bouncing with every violent movement, making for a highly provocative sight.

Zhang Shuai watched, dumbfounded. There's actually a show like this? No wonder Situ Changtian said he wouldn't see this back home; with the strict crackdowns on vice, such erotic performances were certainly forbidden in the country.

It was obvious that neither woman had actually trained in wrestling; the "wrestling" was merely a performance format meant to entertain the crowd. The excited roars from the patrons below showed just how much they enjoyed it.

Zhang Shuai watched, transfixed. As a novice, aside from Japanese adult films, he had never seen such a pulse-pounding scene in real life. This was truly an eye-opener.

The two women grappled for a moment until the dark-haired woman suddenly tripped the blonde with a leg sweep. The blonde reacted quickly; as she fell, she reached out and pulled the dark-haired woman down with her. Then, the blonde wrapped her long, fair legs tightly around the other woman's head. The dark-haired woman struggled for a moment, but the more she fought, the tighter the blonde squeezed her legs...

Zhang Shuai was stunned!

How did it go from a fight to... this?

This...

Two women performing this in the middle of a public venue?

This was truly an eye-opener. Hearing the unbridled laughter and whistles of the audience, Zhang Shuai, the novice, felt his face burning red.

When there were only about ten minutes left before the match, the two beauties' halftime show concluded.

Zhang Shuai returned to the private room and sat quietly for over ten minutes to calm his surging emotions.

It was no wonder so many people abroad loved underground boxing—it was tense, exciting, violent, and bloody, and featured such unique performances. How could it not be popular? Zhang Shuai had heard from Huang Tianli that tickets for this underground arena cost over a thousand dollars each. Not counting the money spent on drinks, the ticket revenue alone was substantial. With hundreds, if not thousands, of people in the bar, the gate receipts alone were a fortune.

Fifteen minutes later, as the host appeared on stage with a microphone, the music in the bar stopped.

The host introduced the two fighters for the upcoming match, both in a foreign language that Zhang Shuai could not understand.

Soon, a wave of cheers broke out. A tall, burly man from the Great Mao Kingdom walked out to the audience's applause and climbed into the octagonal cage. This must be Zhang Shuai's opponent for the night, Mikhail.

Then, the host began introducing the other contestant. Zhang Shuai vaguely heard his own name, and Situ Changtian quickly said to him, "Little Zhang, it's your turn."

Zhang Shuai walked over with a blank expression and climbed into the octagonal iron cage.

The host then closed the cage door and locked it.

Inside the octagonal cage.

Mikhail looked at Zhang Shuai with disdain and made an arrogant throat-slitting gesture, drawing wild cheers from the audience below.

Mikhail was 1.82 meters tall and weighed 98 kilograms, his body packed with muscle. Zhang Shuai was only 1.75 meters tall and weighed 70 kilograms; the two looked to be in completely different weight classes.

Zhang Shuai remained expressionless, but deep down, he decided that for that gesture alone, he would have to send this guy to the hospital for a few days.

The audience below clearly favored Mikhail, assuming Zhang Shuai was just there to make up the numbers and get himself killed.

Behind Huang Tianli, a foreign man and woman were analyzing the situation.

"This match shouldn't be worth watching. The little guy from the Dragon Kingdom can't possibly beat Mikhail. It's just a matter of how long he can last."

"Isn't it said that people from the Dragon Kingdom know kung fu? I've seen their movies; usually, the kung fu masters aren't very big. Look at this young man—he's expressionless and doesn't seem to care about Mikhail at all. Maybe he's a master?"

"You actually believe in Dragon Kingdom kung fu? I'm telling you, that's all a lie. The movies exaggerate everything."

Just then, the host's whistle blew, and the match officially began.

Mikhail didn't take Zhang Shuai seriously at all. As soon as the whistle sounded, he launched an attack, seemingly intent on knocking Zhang Shuai out quickly to end the fight.

Watching Mikhail charge at him with the ferocity of a black bear, Zhang Shuai didn't dodge or retreat. Just as Mikhail was about to close the distance, he stepped to the left, nimbly avoiding the heavy punch. In his eyes, Mikhail's fist was far too slow; he felt as though he could predict the trajectory of the punch from the slightest movement of Mikhail's body.

If not for Situ Changtian's repeated instructions not to end it too quickly, Zhang Shuai could have floored Mikhail the moment the match started. But there was no help for it; to fight more matches and earn more money, he couldn't reveal his true strength. He had to drag the fight out for at least three minutes.

Mikhail missed his punch, but he wasn't surprised. He reached out aggressively, trying to grab Zhang Shuai's clothes. Zhang Shuai was slippery, ducking low to evade him, though he was soon forced back against the wire mesh at the corner of the cage by Mikhail.