"Alright, but what about the defenses here?" Li Zaixing was at a loss; even if he wanted to stick to his principles, he didn't know how.
"Don't worry, let's go have some fun first. We have Instructor Linghu here, Brother Liu Yun, and that girl Zuo Ying too. What's there to be afraid of? The Japanese are just a few guys coming up!" Zhang Lei stuck his tongue out at Liu Yun. "Brother Liu Yun, I know you guys are into nightlife. We'll definitely come and take your place tonight, haha!"
Zhang Lei and Tian Xiao each grabbed Xiao Peng and ran out, leaving behind Liu Yun and the others shouting and cursing. As for Zuo Ying, she was still panting with anger at Zhang Lei's "that girl Zuo Ying".
Actually, everyone wants to go out and have some fun, and Zuo Ying wanted to too, but the two who were making the most of the arrangements didn't seem to get along with her, so they didn't invite her. Even if they had, Zuo Ying would have to think about it.
The twin sisters watched longingly as the three ran out of the room. They were the ones who wanted to go out and play the most. First, they were captured by the gang leader, and then after being rescued, the same thing happened. They were either knocked unconscious and stuffed under seats or locked in the room. The only time they could get out for fresh air was when they boarded the ship.
But considering my situation, especially Mei Chuan Neiyi, and how these people treat me, I decided not to invite trouble.
Even now, thinking back to when they boarded the bus, the two sisters still gritted their teeth in anger. This time, because they had to board the ship themselves, the two sisters weren't knocked unconscious. But when they finally got on the bus, they discovered there were no seats for them at all, and that wretched little boy was even pointing under the seats…
Episode 3: The Bloody Path to Adulthood, Chapter 51: Bullying Children (Part 1)
Humans are inherently combative, a trait that has persisted since ancient times and will likely remain so forever; this very nature is the driving force behind the progress of human society. Humans not only engage in combat themselves but also enjoy watching others fight—cricket fighting, cockfighting, dog fighting, bullfighting—all are forms of combat.
But compared to humans, those are just animals. Compared to human spirituality, they are simply inanimate objects. What people like to do most is watch people fight.
Zhang Lei and Tian Xiao chose the ship's fighting arena as their location, but they didn't intend to go as spectators. It wasn't free, and if they just went to watch, they'd probably lose all their money.
"Fighting arena" is a nicer name, but perhaps a better name would be "colosseum." In reality, in the eyes of the old men on the stage, the fighters in the arena are just animals for their amusement.
In this world, no one is inherently superior to anyone else. Any sanctimonious facade may be an act. Perhaps due to their status, they have to put on a serious act in public, but here, nobody should fucking pretend anymore.
The Isabelle also has a similar place. While it may not be as famous or as bloody as the underground boxing rings in New York, it boasts an even more enthusiastic and wealthy audience. Excluding external betting, the world's highest ring stakes are held here.
The fighting arena's doors were covered with thick leather, and when the doors were opened, a cacophony of noise swept out like a roaring wave.
People with superpowers usually don't participate in fights with ordinary people. It would be like an adult bullying a child. Even if they win, they would lose face. If people in the superpower community found out, they would be laughed at for the rest of their lives.
But now Zhang Lei and his group can't control things anymore. Besides, although Zhang Lei has superpowers, he doesn't understand or identify with the so-called superpower world. "For the money, let's do it!"
Tianxiao felt the same way. Isabel had the latest fashions, and of course, the most expensive ones. Although Tianxiao was young, she was still a woman, and few women could resist the allure of fashion and jewelry, especially since the ship also had the most precious jewels. If there were no comparison, it would be fine, but compared to the jewel-adorned women on the ship, Tianxiao felt like a little girl who had just crawled out of a garbage dump.
What's more, she doesn't even need to take action herself; Zhang Lei will be the one to do it. She'll just be in charge of placing bets. Although they've never fought in a ring like this before, both of them are very confident. If a powerful superpower user can't beat an ordinary person, then they might as well just kill themselves.
The cruise ship welcomes passengers to try it out themselves; clumsy tourists often bring more joy to others. Of course, before that, it's important to clarify whether the person wants to participate in the playful game between tourists or a real fight.
"Sir, are you sure your employer wants to participate in a formal fight that will pay an appearance fee?" The registration staff member confirmed with Xiao Peng again and again. "Are you really sure? Do you need to confirm with your employer again? Like those two, a life-or-death fight where blood and flesh fly everywhere?"
Zhang Lei was wearing a customer badge, and one that indicated he had a high-class ticket. In the staff member's eyes, Xiao Peng was the kind of translator who was deliberately trying to frame his employer for some unknown purpose.
"Yes, that's right, just register!" Xiao Peng was also helpless. These two guys had dragged him over and even said that they would give him 20% after the deal was done. Xiao Peng wanted to stop them, but how could he possibly stop either of these two little devils?
At this point, Tianxiao had already used the little money he had left over from buying tickets to place bets. As soon as Zhang Lei's registration ended, he believed that the odds would be released. Although the odds for the first game would be relatively high, the unfortunate thing was that he didn't have much money left to bet.
"Alright!" The staff member couldn't argue too much. On a ship, the customer is king, and that's no joke. If you really offend the king, the consequences will be far more severe than just issuing a waiver of liability. "However, this waiver of liability must be signed by him personally!"
This is actually what we commonly call a death contract, just worded differently. When Xiao Peng told Zhang Lei about it, Zhang Lei's expression changed slightly. Zhang Lei, of course, couldn't write any Japanese characters...
“It’s alright. Many Japanese people are just trying to be cultured and write their names in Chinese characters, especially those who have some status. Haven’t you noticed that their house signs are often in Chinese?” Xiao Peng saw what Zhang Lei was worried about and comforted him, “But there’s one thing: when you write it, you can’t write it too smoothly. It’s best to look like you’re not very skilled at it, that’s more in line with your Japanese identity!”
"Understood!" Zhang Lei took the waiver of liability and pretended to carefully sign his name on his fake passport stroke by stroke.
"A life-or-death duel, the fourth match, table two, Peter Lu versus Ryūshū Taro, Peter Lu's odds are 1 to 1.2, Ryūshū Taro's odds are 1 to 5, no commission!" Tian Xiao was delighted to see Zhang Lei's fake name finally appear on the odds list.
Each seat has a small information kiosk with information on the contestants, their past performance, and current odds. If you have a credit card and aren't worried about any issues, you can place bets directly through it.
However, many people prefer to crowd in front of the betting point, supposedly because that gives them a better feeling of gambling, rather than just dealing with a bunch of simple numbers.
"It's our turn! It's our turn! Xiao Peng, hurry up!" "Hello, fourth round, second table, bet on Zhang, oh, bet on Ryusei Taro, 1,725,321 yen!" Tian Xiao wanted to bet every single penny, and even Xiao Peng, as her representative, felt a little embarrassed.
"I'm sorry, sir, we don't accept bets of less than 10,000 yen. Please understand!" As expected, he was looked down upon. Although the receptionist still had her standard smile, Xiao Peng felt that the back of his ears was probably already red. He had never been this embarrassed, not even when he was taking a bath in front of a woman during special training.
"What? You're so prejudiced! Five thousand yen, even with a 1:5 payout, is still twenty-five thousand yen, which is equivalent to half a month's salary for us!" Tianxiao took the betting ticket from Xiao Peng's hand, grumbling incessantly, completely ignoring Xiao Peng's increasingly unpleasant expression.
Perhaps the military felt they were treating these special forces members as well as possible, but for members like Xiao Peng, after deducting the training fund, the monthly allowance was only 1,500 yuan. Xiao Peng was quite satisfied, after all, it was quite good even in Shanghai at that time. But compared to the people in the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, it was pitiful. You have to know that these two kids were receiving the lowest probationary salary.
Episode 3: The Bloody Road to Adulthood, Chapter 51: Bullying Children (Part 2)
The boxing match started as soon as the ship set sail, with a daily champion being determined each day. In the beginning, the preliminary rounds were held simultaneously on several channels, and Zhang Lei is currently participating in one of them.
"What? My opponent is just this brat in front of me?" Petr pressed down on his fingers, his knuckles cracking. "That's a huge underestimation of me, or maybe I'm just incredibly lucky? Kid, get off the stage yourself. If I crush you, I'll feel guilty, hahaha!"
Zhang Lei bent his arm, stretched out his fist in front of him, and suddenly clenched it, making a cracking sound from his knuckles, like popping beans. "Don't worry, I won't feel guilty!" Zhang Lei could roughly guess what he meant and found it a bit unbelievable. It might really be related to the language environment. When he was forced into a corner, his English seemed to have made rapid progress, although it was still not very fluent when he spoke it.
"Hmph, little guy, I'll show you that the arena isn't for brats like you who think everything's okay just because their joints resonate!" Petr felt a surge of anger. He was being mocked almost to his face by a little brat. Petr was doing the same thing, and doing it much better than him.
Looking at Zhang Lei's thin body (compared to Peter's own), Peter's confidence was soaring. It seemed that the favor he gave that staff member had worked; otherwise, how could he have ended up with such an opponent?
The boxing ring on the Isabelle isn't exactly a top-tier ring. The best boxers here might not even qualify for the main ring in New York's underground boxing arenas. And unlike there, where almost every three matches result in a death or a disability, the second- or third-rate boxers here wouldn't mind showing the audience a bit of bloodshed if given the chance.
"Bang!" The entire boxing ring seemed to shake. The referee had just lowered his hand when Pete made the closest possible contact with the floor of the ring.
When he rushed over, Zhang Lei took a small step to the side, and it seemed that he tripped over himself and fell onto the table.
"What are you doing? Do you want to have sex with Taizi?" Zhang Lei couldn't remember how to say rape in English, so he could only try to make it sound as colloquial as possible.
As he spoke, Zhang Lei stomped his head, which he had just raised, down with one foot, and then placed his other foot on it, using his body as a makeshift bridge. He even stood with his hands outstretched to maintain his balance, looking utterly ridiculous.
"Drink up!" Petrul strained with both hands, arching his body violently, trying to throw Zhang Lei off him. Zhang Lei's words and actions had already made him feel extremely humiliated, and he now just wanted to crush this little bastard to death.
Zhang Lei might not have been the one who truly humiliated him the most, but Zhang Lei was young. To give an example, if a twelve-year-old child is beaten up by an adult, he might feel hatred, but not humiliation, because losing is to be expected. However, if he is brutally beaten up by a child several sizes younger than him, especially in front of a large audience, that would likely be a humiliation he will remember for the rest of his life.
That's the mindset Pete is in now. He feels like if he can't crush this brat, he won't have the face to continue fighting in Isabel's boxing ring.
The Isabel ring is the best place for second-tier boxers like them. It's not very dangerous and the income is good. Peter knows that someone of his level would probably not survive a year in a real underground boxing ring. The Isabel ring is not easy to climb into, and that's why he absolutely cannot lose this position.
"Damn it, if this kid doesn't have a powerful backer, I'll kidnap him and use him as a male prostitute. He looks quite tender!" Thinking of this, Peter's penis couldn't help but get erect.