Chu Mu still remembered that Xiao Bu used to have a snow globe, too. Hers had been intact, lighting up and playing songs, and she had held it in her hands from the day she arrived at the Orphanage.
Unfortunately, the kids from Rivet Town had later snatched it away and smashed it.
That day, Xiao Bu had cried for a very, very long time. That snow globe seemed to hold extraordinary meaning for her.
Chu Mu had kept all of this in his heart. Now, he wished he could return to the Orphanage immediately and give his little sister her present!
Getting it for one Winter City Shield had been well worth it.
By now, Chu Mu had completely forgotten his hunger.
He raised his head and looked at Boulder Town before him.
Chu Mu had never liked this place before. He had found it crowded, noisy, dim, and cramped.
But now, he actually found it somewhat endearing.
The people and things here were all quite interesting.
Except, of course, for the fight club Chu Mu hated most.
As he passed the establishment in Boulder Town called the Fight Club, its sharp-eyed owner spotted him despite his deliberate efforts to avoid it.
"Hey! Chu Mu, the mad dog of Rivet Town!" Scott, the club's owner, let out an exaggerated cry, blocked Chu Mu's path, and said with a grin, "Kid, when are you going to fight at our club? Your reputation would sell a lot of tickets."
"I'm not interested." Chu Mu shook his head. "Besides, do you think it's reasonable to ask a six-year-old to fight?"
"Perfectly reasonable!" Scott's voice rose high, almost shrill, squawking like a drake. "Everyone knows our ring here in Boulder Town is the fairest in the entire Underworld. We don't care about your background, and we don't restrict race or gender, let alone something as ridiculous as age! In the ring, a six-year-old's knife is the same as a twenty-six-year-old's. Both can kill!"
"But the people holding the knives are different, and so is their strength." Chu Mu shook his head.
"I can arrange fights between you kids, so you don't need to worry about that. I've already got a bunch of kids inside. I can set you up anytime!" Scott smiled as though he had everything under control.
"Where did you get so many kids?" Chu Mu felt deeply disturbed, but he couldn't help asking.
"Heh, the Underworld's short on everything except people. People die in mining accidents all the time, leaving orphans and widows homeless. Some parents even sell their kids to the club because they can't afford to feed them. Heh." As Scott spoke, he seemed to take a kind of vindictive pleasure in it.
His wife had once left him, taking their child with her because she couldn't stand him running the fight club, only to die in a traffic accident.
After that, Scott had become even more deranged, delighting in the misfortunes of other families. The more others suffered, the happier he was!
Chu Mu had wanted nothing more to do with this lunatic, but then he remembered something and forced himself to keep asking patiently:
"Can I go inside and look at those opponents you've arranged for me?"
"Of course!" Scott's eyes lit up, thinking Chu Mu had been tempted.
He knew this kid was obsessed with money and would do any job that paid.
With this kid's talent, digging Geomarrow out of mine tunnels was such a waste. The ring suited him far better!
He would die either way! If he died in the mines, no one would care. If he died in the ring, at least he would make money for his boss!
Loads of money!
Scott excitedly led Chu Mu backstage. Chu Mu scanned the children and, sure enough, spotted a familiar figure.
A purple-haired girl held a small knife ground from a scrap of iron, practicing her slashes at the air in a corner.
Chu Mu walked over and pulled her around to face him.
"Seele, what are you doing here?"
"Boss? What are you doing here, too?" Delight spread over Seele's face as she said with a smile, "The owner said I'd get twenty Winter City Shields for winning one fight, and my opponent would be a kid my age. I thought, isn't that practically free money?"
After hearing this, Chu Mu's expression darkened frighteningly, and he said sternly:
"Don't say another word. Come with me."
"Boss, that's twenty Winter City Shields!" Seele looked regretful, but she still obediently followed Chu Mu.
Whatever the boss said went!
Seeing Chu Mu approach him, Scott thought he had made his decision and said with a smile:
"Kid, what did I tell you? They're all about your age here. You'll definitely have the advantage in a fight! You might as well be scooping money into sacks!"
"Sorry, boss, but she and I are backing out." Chu Mu refused him outright and took Seele's hand to leave.
"Backing out? What are you thinking? You think this is a relief station, where you can come and go as you please?" Scott reached out to block them, his face twisting viciously.
He pointed at Seele and shouted:
"You can leave, kid, but this girl isn't going anywhere! She's already signed a contract. She can't leave until she finishes a fight! And the contract says her life belongs to me until it expires!"
As Scott spoke, several of the club's enforcers closed in around them.
"You really signed it?" Chu Mu turned to look at Seele.
"I-I can't read." Seele's face went pale as overwhelming fear gripped her. "He didn't mention any of that before. He just told me to write my name there and said I'd only get paid if I did."
"I understand." Chu Mu nodded lightly and looked at Scott. "Then I guess we'll have to stay for a fight."
"Well, look who finally came around." Scott smiled smugly. "Since you know this girl, I'll put you two in a match. The audience loves watching friends tear each other apart! I'll double your pay! Forty Winter City Shields-no, fifty. Fifty each!"
At those words, Chu Mu turned to Seele:
"Seele, you heard all that, right?"
"Yeah. Since I caused this mess, just beat me up, boss. You can take both shares, and that'll satisfy him, too," Seele said bitterly.
Hearing this, Scott sneered inwardly.
Once these two entered the ring, he would only let one leave alive. The winner would take everything.
Those Winter City Shields were the price of a life.
He couldn't wait to see what expression of devastation the survivor would wear, holding the hundred Winter City Shields that should have belonged to both of them.
The thought made Scott almost tremble with excitement, and he couldn't help urging them:
"Good, good. You've really found a loophole, but since I'm such a kind man, I'll let you exploit it! Well? What do you think?"
"You really are an animal," Chu Mu said coldly.
At moments like these, he always felt utterly calm.
The dagger in Seele's hand had already passed silently into his.
Its edge was dull, but its point was sharp enough!
Seele seemed to know what he intended to do. She gripped Chu Mu's other hand tightly, her palm beginning to sweat.
"Huh? What did you say?" Perhaps the club was too noisy, or perhaps he couldn't believe Chu Mu would dare say such a thing to him.
Scott acted as though he hadn't heard clearly and leaned his face closer in curiosity.
"Die, you old mole!"
Chu Mu struck at that instant, driving the knife into Scott's right eye socket!
When he pulled the point free, the crude iron knife dragged a pale orb out with it.
In front of everyone, Chu Mu flung the eyeball to the floor and crushed it beneath his foot.
The sudden turn of events left the watching enforcers frozen in shock.
Chu Mu gave Seele a hard shove and roared:
"Run! Go find Oleg!"
Then, brandishing the small knife, he lunged at the enforcers!
Before you continue