Neighbors

People could die in Underground Boxing, though it did not happen all that often.

The organizers needed people to fight and make money for them, not die one after another.

But when necessary, people really could die.

At its core, Underground Boxing gave the spectators an outlet for their pent-up aggression. Whatever their social standing, everyone had their own pressures. Over time, many people harbored a dark undercurrent of violence that needed somewhere to vent.

Some settled for flaming people online. Some drank themselves senseless, singing wildly instead of crying. Some fought and killed, while others watched people fight and kill to find a different kind of satisfaction.

What they had in common, really, was that most regretted it afterward. Why the hell did I drink last night? I feel like death today.

But in the heat of that night? Three more drinks!

That was what happened when people got carried away.

By day, the Underground Boxing spectators were smartly dressed members of the elite. But the moment blood was spilled, their viciousness rivaled anyone's.

Throw in the frenzy of gambling, and they became even more savage.

"Useless bastard! Kill her! You useless bastard!"

The sight of Moon Shadow kicking the burly man backward, sending him headfirst toward the edge of the ring, utterly enraged those who had bet on him. The crowd verged on rioting, and some began trying to clamber over the railings.

"Raaagh!" The burly man clamped one hand tightly around the edge of the ring. Somehow, he hung suspended by that single hand without falling.

"Cut his hand off with your Shadow Blade! What are you standing there for, you bitch?" Those who had bet on Moon Shadow kept shouting abuse.

Moon Shadow could not make out what anyone was shouting at her amid the deafening uproar. She had no strength left. She wanted to move over and finish him off, but the earlier blow to her lower abdomen left her doubled up with pain. Her whole body felt as though it were falling apart. Blood still dripped beneath her mask, staining her black clothes with mottled patches of dark red.

She panted weakly, slowly moving toward the burly man.

Her opponent clearly had no supernatural ability. He was merely an Unrestricted Fighter. Yet the Gravity Ability that had restrained her earlier, and the way he now hung in midair without falling... someone else was helping him.

That was cheating.

The people running this place should have noticed. Why had they not stopped it?

"Lose one match. One million." His cold voice echoed in her mind again.

"That would hurt."

"...If you're already hurting badly, that makes it all right, doesn't it?"

Moon Shadow had never imagined those words would come from his mouth... When she had first seen him, she had even felt a little warmth toward him, but two brief remarks had shattered every last trace of it.

They were all the same.

If I'm already hurting badly, it's all right to lose...

As those scattered thoughts flitted through her mind, Moon Shadow slowly reached the edge of the ring and tried to kick the hand gripping it.

Whoosh! Her opponent suddenly flipped upward, soaring above and behind her, and launched a flying kick at the back of her head.

The crowd erupted again!

Moon Shadow's fleeting thought that she could lose vanished without a trace. Breaking into a cold sweat, she hastily bent backward and dodged the flying kick.

This isn't losing... this is dying!

Are they trying to kill me?

"That's a Lily Fold..." Having gotten over his initial shock, Chu Ge had calmed down by now. Qiu Wuji said, "An outside force is helping that man stay airborne. This is cheating. Our neighbor is going to die."

"Die?" Chu Ge watched Moon Shadow dodge her opponent's relentless barrage at the edge of the ring, puzzled. "Can't she just jump out of the ring and concede?"

Qiu Wuji's voice held a hint of mockery. "If I'm right, the odds probably pay out more if she dies. Besides, if she knows they cheated against her, she might cause trouble for this place later. Even if they don't kill her in the ring, they'll find a way to kill her outside it. That's why someone came looking for her at home. The one who could walk through walls was most likely just tailing her and scouting ahead, confirming where she lived. That's why the fee was only ten thousand."

Chu Ge's brow furrowed deeply. Qiu Wuji's analysis made perfect sense. She had dealt with both sides of the law enough to know how these things worked, and the principles were much the same in both worlds.

Was their neighbor going to die?

Moon Shadow wanted to jump out of the ring and concede, too.

But she could not get away.

Even her evasive movements grew heavier and heavier. Injured, she no longer had the strength to break free of the gravitational restraint. Even her internal organs seemed to have turned into lead and mercury, constantly dragging downward.

Her opponent's fist loomed before her eyes.

Moon Shadow grew still. Looking into his bloodthirsty eyes, she suddenly thought, If I die, will it stop hurting?

The pressure on her body suddenly eased. The gravitational restraint inexplicably vanished.

There was no time to think. Instinctively driven to survive, Moon Shadow flipped backward, dodging the punch and landing outside the ring.

The uproar abruptly fell silent for a strange half second, then exploded into even louder abuse. Many tried to storm out of the stands, only to be held back by some unseen restraint. The chaos resembled a cage full of beasts.

Dragging her injured body along, Moon Shadow hurried into the passage and soon reached the elevator. Naturally, there was no money after a loss. Forget the money. Getting out of here alive was what mattered now.

She suddenly hesitated. In her current state, would the elevator not be a death trap? Could she take it?

The elevator doors suddenly opened. Moon Shadow glanced inside on instinct. When she saw the people within, she hesitated no longer and quickly slipped in.

The elevator doors closed, and it began to ascend.

Upstairs, someone stood before a floor-to-ceiling window, quietly watching her departure, his brow slightly furrowed as though puzzled.

"Boss, I really didn't release the gravitational restraint myself. Someone interfered!" A red-haired young man behind him hurried to defend himself.

Without turning around, the man waved a hand. "I know. I'm not blaming you."

The red-haired young man exhaled in relief. "Boss, someone's helping her get away. Should we cut the power to the elevator? Or ambush them outside it?"

The man sighed. "Look at the surveillance feed. There's nobody in the elevator anymore. It was just a diversion. They've already left by some other means."

Disbelieving, the red-haired young man checked the surveillance feed. Sure enough, the elevator was empty. Unwilling to give up, he pulled up the earlier footage. It was clean. There was nothing there.

"They have a highly skilled ability user. From the moment they entered the nightclub, every surveillance recording of them has been blank. Covering their tracks is almost instinctive. We're dealing with an old hand..."

Everyone exchanged looks. "Could they be cops?"

The man sighed softly. "Shut the place down. That idiot who walks through walls has been caught. He was only an outside hire and didn't know our business, but he knew about the Underground Boxing, at least. The authorities are probably already investigating. Keep a low profile for now. Suspend all operations."

"What about Moon Shadow...?"

"While she was making her way from the ring to the elevator, we held back because we didn't want to leave too many eyewitnesses in a public place. Once we watched her enter the elevator, we lost our best chance to kill her." The man stared absently at the elevator and murmured, almost to himself, "I'll find another way."

"Yes, boss." Several people behind him, including the red-haired young man, bowed respectfully, evidently placing great faith in him.

Though he did seem a little indecisive today... Whether those people were still in the elevator or not, they could not have gotten far. Why not search for them or give chase?

He was probably worried they were cops. The boss had to consider the bigger picture. It was only right for him to be cautious...

(End of chapter)

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