Big Shot

When Scott regained consciousness, he was the only one left in the Fight Club.

Everything that had happened seemed like a dream.

But the glaring bloodstains on the floor told him it had all been real!

That boy was a devil, a devil!

Trembling, Scott walked over to the safe and struggled to enter the combination, but his fingers seemed to have a mind of their own. He kept getting it wrong.

The boy's calm, utterly unruffled gaze was still seared into Scott's mind.

He had no doubt that, given the chance, this boy would kill him!

Chu Mu was only six, while he himself was nearly sixty.

But the boy would eventually grow up and reach his prime. Scott, meanwhile, was slipping irreversibly into old age.

Once the balance of power tipped, his life would be over!

The thought left Scott unable to eat or sleep in peace.

He swore that he would kill Chu Mu, whatever the cost. He absolutely could not give that brat a chance to grow up!

And so, when he opened the safe, a rather strange-looking machine lay inside.

It had an old cathode-ray screen, flanked by two bronze speakers. Above it sat a camera glowing red, while below were a row of buttons and a sound pickup riddled with tiny holes.

It looked as though it had been cobbled together from scraps.

Scott pressed several buttons. The strange machine lit up, and static filled the screen.

While the call was connecting, Scott deliberately removed the bandage over his right eye, leaving the wound exposed.

Then, with a soft pop, the picture cleared, revealing an obese middle-aged man in a bathrobe.

"Scott, what do you want, calling me at this hour?" the man asked with a smile.

Scott's scalp prickled at the sight. He knew very well that although this great noble of the Upper District always wore a smile, he was notorious for his brutality!

Unlike the other nobles, whenever this lord visited the Underworld's Fight Club to watch a match, he would step into the ring himself if the mood struck him!

Whenever he entered the ring, his opponent was doomed to die! For one thing, Scott would not allow them to win and spoil the lord's fun, so he always intimidated and threatened the fighters beforehand, forcing them to throw the match.

For another, this lord never allowed his opponents to surrender. Even if they waved a white flag and knelt to beg for mercy, he would not stop until he had pounded them into pulp!

Scott had lost more than one elite fighter to this lord. Yet he dared not utter a single complaint, because this man was his backer!

So Scott hurriedly explained:

"My lord, it's urgent. There's something urgent! Someone wants to kill me!"

"Aren't you still alive?" The obese man was still all smiles, utterly unconcerned. "Since you know who wants to kill you, just kill them first."

"But my lord, Oleg, the Guard Captain of the Silvermane Guards, is on his side!" Scott cried out in anguish. "And so is the holder of the Underworld's Great Code! They ganged up on me. They even gouged out one of my eyes!"

"Your eye?" The man narrowed his eyes and leaned toward the screen. Only then did he notice Scott's condition, and he immediately launched into a tirade. "You old mole, have you lost your mind? Who are you trying to scare with that hole? Cover it up! Don't make me sick!"

"My lord, I!" A tremendous sense of injustice welled up inside Scott, but he obediently covered his eye. "My lord, you must see that justice is done for me!"

"Of course. You're my dog. I can hardly ignore you." Those heartwarming words came through the machine. A thoughtful look crossed the man's face as he said:

"Oleg and that Chief Stoker in the Underworld both came down from the Upper District. Scott, are they humiliating you to send me a warning? Did you tell them I was protecting you?"

A dangerous gleam appeared in the man's eyes.

Scott immediately shook his head.

"No, no! I wouldn't dare! I only said I had someone important in the Upper District looking out for me. I never said it was you. They couldn't possibly know who it was."

"That's more like it. I don't want anyone finding out about my connection to you. Those old fossils in the Council would try to impeach me again." The man nodded slightly. "Since this has nothing to do with me, what exactly happened?"

"My lord, here's what happened..." Scott recounted the events of the evening, naturally embellishing them considerably.

"So that's what happened. Scott, a child bullied you this badly? You really are useless!" The man smiled with delight.

At the sight, Scott could not help saying:

"My lord, they weren't just bullying me. They were practically slapping you in the face!"

Unexpectedly, those words directly enraged the man behind the screen!

"Enough, Scott!" the fat man shouted. "I'm not going to start a conflict with other people over one dispensable, failing eye belonging to an old dog like you.

"That Guard Captain may not have much backing, but the Adjudicator comes from a distinguished family. Even the Supreme Guardian has to call him Uncle! Would I have to be out of my mind to pick a fight with someone like that and expose my shady interests in the Underworld?"

At this point, the fat man's tone gradually calmed, and he continued:

"Finally, regarding the Orphanage in Rivet Town, I will not allow you to lay a finger on it. If you do, I'll kill you first!"

"But, but my eye!" Scott felt utterly wronged. "Am I supposed to have lost my eye for nothing?"

Unwilling to accept this, he looked at the fat man and asked:

"I can't touch those important people from the Upper District. Fine, I admit defeat. I'll swallow that loss. But I can't touch that little bastard from the Orphanage either? Why? In your eyes, am I worth less than an orphan with no parents?"

He truly felt a little desperate. He paid this lord so much tribute every month, and this was all he got in return!

At that moment, he even felt like throwing everything away. He wanted nothing more than to drag this Upper District noble into the grave with him!

It's all your fault! Why won't you help me!

"Scott, you have to believe me. It's not that I won't help you. This is for your own good." As though he had seen through Scott's thoughts across the screen, the man spoke gently. "Something major is about to happen at the Orphanage in the Underworld. Until it's over, I won't allow anything to interfere with that place."

"What could be more important than my eye?" Scott asked bitterly.

"Your eye? Heh. Even my life would be insignificant compared to this matter," the fat man sneered.

Shocked by those words, Scott could not help asking:

"My lord, what exactly is happening?"

"You have no right to know. As I said, nothing is allowed to interfere with that place. More than one pair of eyes is watching it right now." The fat man gave Scott a stern look, then smiled. "Don't worry, Scott. It'll be over in a month at most. After that, you can take whatever revenge you like. I'll come down to your Underworld then, too. After all, how could I truly abandon my own old dog?"

The fat man's words filled Scott's heart with warmth.

"My lord, I am always grateful for your kindness," Scott said, bowing.

"Heh, spare me the pleasantries. If you really want to repay me, arrange a few star fighters from the Fight Club for me. Preferably Three-Time Champions or Five-Time Champions. I want to fight ten at once!"

"Yes, my lord!" Scott promised.

The call ended. Scott locked the safe and gave a cold chuckle.

Heh, one month? I can wait.

Brat, enjoy another month of running wild. You won't be alive much longer!

At that moment, in Scott's mind, the countdown to the end of Chu Mu's life had already begun!

The death knell had already sounded!

For whom did the bell toll?