Even though he had prepared himself mentally, Li Rui was still dumbfounded by the scene before him. Not one person present was poor. These so-called members of high society, these so-called wealthy people, were shouting like lunatics inside this underground boxing arena. Even the beautiful socialites had abandoned all concern for their image and descended into madness.
"Never seen anything like this, have you? This is the best place to let your animal nature loose. Nothing can replace the thrill blood brings, not even women. Heh, heh." Lü Yifan laughed.
"Come on. Before this match ends, let's hurry and place a bet on the next one. Follow my bets, and you might even make a tidy sum." As he spoke, Lü Yifan started leading Li Rui toward the betting area.
"Wait. Where do fighters sign up?" Li Rui had little interest in betting or winning money. Any random mission could reward him with twenty billion. What could bring in money faster than system rewards?
"Uh... Old Li, are you really planning to have those bodyguards of yours enter the boxing matches?"
"Of course not. I have someone else."
"Li Yi, go meet the others."
"Yes, boss."
Watching Li Yi walk toward the entrance, Lü Yifan began to feel that something was off.
"Old Li, you didn't come here to watch boxing or gamble, did you?" Lü Yifan asked solemnly.
"Of course I came to watch boxing. I just brought my own fighters. I came to gamble, too. I'm just betting rather big," Li Rui replied with a smile.
"Old Li, you really came to challenge the house? Gu Yuanshan isn't someone you can mess with. He has several hundred men under him. In all of Star City, nobody but Lord Black Tiger can stand against him. You need to think this through."
Li Rui smiled without saying anything. Gu Yuanshan wasn't worth a damn. If Li Rui weren't a good, law-abiding citizen, he could simply spend some money on an assassin to kill him. Simple and easy.
"Boss, everyone's here." A short while later, Li Yi returned with twenty burly men behind him, their builds looking as though they had been cast from the same mold. They were twenty of the fifty advanced bodyguards Li Rui had purchased back in Gaoyang City, precisely for today.
"Old Lü, take us to sign up."
Seeing the twenty burly men Li Yi had brought, Lü Yifan was shocked as well. He marveled that this truly was a mighty dragon crossing the river. They did have some strength behind their daring to disregard Gu Yuanshan. After hesitating briefly, he still led Li Rui and the others toward the registration desk.
He had brought Li Rui and the others here. Even if he refused to take them to register, he could no longer escape involvement.
Li Rui's group were all tall and powerfully built, naturally drawing the attention of the arena's personnel. When Li Yi had entered with those twenty towering, burly men, someone had already hurried toward a room at the very back.
Seeing such a crowd of burly men approach, the registration attendant knew they had not come with good intentions. Still, having worked in the underground boxing arena for years, he dutifully spoke despite feeling somewhat afraid. "Are you gentlemen here to register for a boxing match?"
"To challenge the house," an arrogant voice declared. The speaker was neither Li Rui nor Li Yi, but Lü Yifan.
Since he could no longer wash his hands of it, he might as well act arrogantly. He was only twenty-seven or twenty-eight. Could a young man still be called young if he wasn't arrogant?
Li Rui gave Lü Yifan a peculiar look.
Lü Yifan raised his chin. Though he said nothing, his meaning could not have been clearer: they were already here to challenge the house, so why be so polite?
Li Rui shook his head. This newly acquainted friend really was mercurial. Just moments ago, he had acted as though Gu Yuanshan was formidable and he was terrified, yet in no time at all, he was wearing an arrogant expression.
While Li Rui was reflecting on this, a man in his fifties walked straight toward their group with more than ten burly men behind him. His voice arrived before he did.
"Which friend is here to challenge my establishment?" His commanding voice rang throughout the arena.
Hearing the voice, Li Rui and the others all turned their heads.
Gu Yuanshan spotted Lü Yifan in the crowd at once. He froze briefly, then a trace of confusion flashed through his eyes. Why would the Speeding Group's second young master bring people to challenge his establishment? His business did not compete with the Speeding Group at all. They had absolutely no dealings with one another. At most, he had met Lü Yifan's father a few times.
"So it's Second Young Master Lü. May I ask how I have offended your Lü Family, for you to personally bring people to wreck my establishment?" A trace of anger on the verge of erupting tinged his level tone. The Lü Family might be a large conglomerate and have money, but so what? He, Gu Yuanshan, had hundreds of brothers under him. They had come knocking at his door looking for a fight; he would not fear the Lü Family.
"You've misunderstood, Master Gu. I'm just here for some fun," Lü Yifan explained sheepishly.
His family might be wealthy, but he did not want to invite trouble when facing a gang leader like this. All the arrogance and swagger he had displayed a second earlier vanished without a trace.
Seeing this, Li Rui did not blame Lü Yifan for lacking backbone. After all, the Lü Family ran legitimate businesses, and Lü Yifan was only an illegitimate son without anyone backing him. If he offended an underworld tyrant like this, the Lü Family might not necessarily stand up for him.
With that thought, Li Rui stepped forward of his own accord. "Gu Yuanshan, do you know who I am?"
Looking at the man who had suddenly stepped forward, Gu Yuanshan did not react immediately. He was thinking that the man looked somewhat familiar, until someone beside him leaned in and whispered something in his ear.
Only then did Gu Yuanshan's pupils tremble. Rage instantly covered his face. "It was you! You were the one who crippled my son?"
"Gu Yuanshan, when a son goes untaught, the father is to blame. Your son's fate is all thanks to you. If your son hadn't committed evil deeds and threatened me first, how would he have ended up like this?"
"Hmph! Do I need you to teach me how to raise my son? You crippled my son, yet you still dared to come here? Do you really think I wouldn't dare do anything to you?"
"Haven't you been investigating me? Well, I'm here today. You're open for business, and I've come in for some fun. What's wrong with that?" Li Rui taunted. With the system, did he need to fear anyone? If they wouldn't submit, he would fight.
"Fine. Very good. Don't you want to challenge the house? Then let's do it." With a cold snort, he turned and led his men toward the tables and chairs nearest the boxing ring.
Just then, the match in the ring ended.
"How do you want to fight?" Gu Yuanshan asked coldly.
"You're the host, and I'm the guest. Naturally, we'll follow your rules. We'll take turns sending people into the ring until one side has nobody left to send." Naturally, the reason Li Rui agreed to these rules was the system.
With the system, if twenty advanced bodyguards weren't enough, he would use fifty. If fifty weren't enough, he would use a hundred. A hundred experts with world-class fighting skills-even if the arena's boxers were incredibly strong, he could exhaust them to death. His position had long since been unassailable.
Hearing Li Rui agree to use the arena's rules, Gu Yuanshan gave a savage grin. He had run this underground bare-knuckle arena for more than twenty years. This was hardly the first time someone had challenged the house. With the ten top-tier, world-class fighters at his disposal, he had absolute confidence that he could make the bastard who had crippled his son pay a devastating price. Besides, he still had...