Bab 8: Chapter 8: One Cut
On the fifth floor of the Fighting Arena, two figures stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows, easily overlooking the entire arena.
"A newcomer, interesting," remarked the middle-aged man standing on the left, his glasses perched on the bridge of his nose. He squinted at the Fighting Arena, resembling a cold, venomous snake.
"Cobra, aren't you afraid of losing a subordinate by letting Ryan fight?" The other middle-aged man, in his forties, swirled the wine in his glass.
"He needs the money himself, that's all." Cobra's voice was somewhat hoarse. He stared at Xu Mo opposite Ryan below, "Why do newcomers always seem so eager to die? Qin Zhong, care to place a bet?"
"Betting on Ryan against a newcomer? Do you think I'm stupid, Cobra?" Qin Zhong laughed.
"Ten-to-one odds, I put in ten thousand, you put in one thousand, just a small game," Cobra turned to Qin Zhong.
Qin Zhong glanced below and nodded, "A thousand is not a small amount for me, but since you're interested, I'll play along, consider it a contribution to the arena's funds."
With that, they both took out their money and handed it to a tall woman standing behind them, an attendant of the arena. For each betting agreement, the arena's attendants acted as referees, taking a commission as their fee.
Qin Zhong, the direct manager of the Fighting Arena.
...
In the arena, heavy metal music stirred the emotions of the audience. Even before the fight began, many people were already shouting.
"Ryan, crush him."
"Take his knife and stab it into his heart."
Many people yelled madly, feeling more excited than Ryan himself in the arena.
"Challenger, newcomer, codename: Hunter; Opponent, Ryan, four wins." A mechanical voice sounded from above. Ryan didn't even wear a helmet, only arm guards. He looked at the thin Xu Mo with extreme disdain. Could this weak body withstand a punch?
"Is this newcomer another gambler coming to die?"
"Looking so frail, how dare he step into the Fighting Arena? He must be desperate for money."
"Ryan has killed his opponents in all four matches so far. This kid is most likely a dead man. Hunter?"
"Crush him, Ryan. Don't use a second punch."
Countless voices drilled into Xu Mo's ears. He stood quietly in the arena as the lights scanned his body. In this wild atmosphere, he felt isolated from the entire world.
Xu Mo closed his eyes, and everything around him clearly imprinted in his mind, including the frenzied, ghastly expressions of those around the Fighting Arena. Everything seemed to slow down, frame by frame, as his mind operated like a machine.
His hand was very steady, strongly suppressing his intense hostility.
The curved blade in his hand flashed with cold light under the spotlight. Xu Mo gripped the handle tightly. At that moment, his aura changed, exuding strong confidence, as if facing yet another extreme challenge. Moreover, in his calculations, the danger of this fight was zero; he could not lose!
"Begin!"
As the voice rang out, Xu Mo opened his eyes, a cold gleam shooting from his pupils. His body moved, stepping across the arena, his frail body demonstrating powerful explosiveness as he charged at Ryan.
"Roar, roar, roar..." The audience around the arena shouted excitedly.
A newcomer, taking the initiative? They seemed to foresee Ryan's arm guard smashing his opponent's head.
Ryan raised both arms and stepped forward, his eyes fixed on the approaching Xu Mo, assuming a blocking stance.
Xu Mo's body approached Ryan, his curved blade slashing down in one fluid motion. In his spiritual power's perception, Ryan's movements were slow.
Ryan glanced at the position of Xu Mo's slashing blade and sneered, raising his left arm to block with his arm guard, using the same move as before.
"Hmm?"
Ryan suddenly found the blade's trajectory somewhat strange. It wasn't a straight slash but an arc, like a crescent moon. As he raised his arm, the blade's speed suddenly increased, as if precisely calculating his movement.
Blood splashed on his face. Ryan didn't feel pain, just saw the blade cutting off his fingers and then entering his vision.
"Psh…"
The sharp blade slashed down, a line of blood appeared on Ryan's forehead. His eyes didn't close, staring fixedly at the thin masked figure before him. Then, his body fell, blood staining the arena red.
One slash!
The spectators suddenly fell silent, the roars stopping abruptly. Only the heavy metal music continued to shock their eardrums as all eyes fixed on Xu Mo. After a moment's pause, even crazier roars echoed throughout the arena.
To the audience, who won or lost didn't matter. They craved excitement, something to ignite their nerves. This slash had undoubtedly achieved that.
No one had given a chance to Xu Mo, thinking he'd be smashed with one punch. He killed Ryan, the four-match winner, with one slash.
At this moment, Xu Mo's curved blade still dripped with blood.
Xu Mo stared at the corpse without a hint of guilt in his eyes. The scene of Ryan breaking into 'his' home to kill still vividly replayed in his mind, the deepest memory left by the original owner!
Throwing the curved blade onto the arena, Xu Mo turned and walked toward the passage. He didn't savor the surrounding cheers. These people weren't cheering for him; they were cheering for savagery and slaughter.
In the arena's passage, the previous female attendant was already waiting. Seeing Xu Mo approaching, she bowed politely and said, "Mr. Hunter, here is your appearance fee."
Xu Mo received the eighteen hundred Federation coins and said softly, "Thank you."
Then he walked ahead. The others backstage all watched Xu Mo, including Shazhaier, who had seen the fight. Although Ryan might have underestimated his opponent, Xu Mo's slash was incredibly impressive. He made a mental note to be cautious of him.
"Mr. Hunter, would you like to rest here for a while?" the attendant asked, catching up to Xu Mo.
"No need." Xu Mo shook his head.
"I'll see you out." The attendant didn't insist, escorting Xu Mo to the exit. "Mr. Hunter, next time you come, your appearance fee will be much higher."
"Got it." Xu Mo nodded slightly, continuing to leave quickly. He exited the Fighting Arena without even staying at the Casino and left the area directly.
Ryan was one of the murderers who killed 'his' family. There were still three others unaccounted for. Although their identities were unknown, Ryan had appeared in the black market, making it likely that the others operated there too.
The arms factory's influence should be strong. However, they might not handle such matters directly. Ryan was likely hired, and he heard someone say that Ryan worked for Cobra.
Who was Cobra? What role did the Law Enforcement Team play in this?
Killing Ryan through the fight appeared as just a regular match to outsiders, not an act of revenge. No one should notice, but he had to be cautious not to be traced.
Xu Mo left the Casino and quickly walked toward the black market's exit. Soon, he noticed someone following him, evidently curious about his identity. Although he didn't know who it was, Xu Mo was mentally prepared. After several swift moves through the alleys of the black market, his mask vanished, and he donned a different outfit. Only when he confirmed no one was tracking him did he leave the black market.
...
Returning to the department store, Xu Mo felt as though a lifetime had passed. Here and the black market seemed like two different worlds.
"Xu Mo, you're back." Mia greeted him with a sweet smile as she told a story to Yaoer.
"Yes, thank you, Miss Mia," Xu Mo replied.
"No need to be so polite." Mia pretended to be angry and didn't ask where Xu Mo had been. She looked at Yaoer and said, "Xu Mo, Yaoer is very smart. I plan to teach her to read in the future."
Sitting beside her, Yaoer looked at Xu Mo and smiled foolishly, saying in a childish voice, "Brother, Yaoer likes listening to Sister Mia's stories."
Xu Mo walked over and rubbed Yaoer's head, saying softly, "Then Yaoer must remember to be good to Sister Mia, okay?"
"Okay." Yaoer nodded seriously.
"Miss Mia, I'll go change my clothes," Xu Mo said and walked inside. He returned shortly, saying, "Miss Mia, I'll watch the store so you can rest."
"It's alright, you can watch the store while I continue telling stories to Yaoer." Mia made space for Xu Mo to sit.
Xu Mo sat down, the faint fragrance flowing into his nostrils. He turned his head to look at Mia seriously telling a story. Kind and gentle, Mia seemed like a stream of clean water in this savage world. She shouldn't have been born into such a brutal place.
He wondered if Master Batu could always protect Miss Mia.
"Xu Mo, what are you looking at?" Mia sensed something and turned to glance at him.
"Nothing," Xu Mo turned his gaze away. Mia felt a bit strange. Xu Mo seemed different from before, but she couldn't pinpoint what had changed.
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