Pei Qi looked at the team rosters and, pointing to one, said, "They have boxers and fitness trainers. Very good. Let’s choose them. Let them teach those Asians a lesson. My Sacranto coins aren’t that easy to earn."
"Respected Miss Pei Qi has already picked a team for your rcenary Team. The match will be held in twenty minutes. Please have both teams enter the arena for so warm-up activities."
Soon, this team appeared before Jing Shu and her companions. They were six tall and muscular black n, clad in extrely heavy leather armor or bulletproof vests. Their re presence exuded an imposing aura.
At this mont, a Chinese man from the corner approached them. "As a fellow Asian," he said, "even though you didn’t buy the information, I must warn you. This is also a B-level rcenary Team, with two professional boxers, two fitness trainers, and two retired soldiers. So, you all need to be careful in this match."
"Thanks," Jing Shu replied.
Jing Shu was led to the center of the Duel Arena. Overhead, loudspeakers blared a new announcent in English, buzzing about this very event. The Duel Arena itself was alive with excitent; everyone eagerly anticipated today’s first rcenary Team match.
The Duel Arena had thousands of seats. As the only source of entertainnt, it was already completely full. Those without seats just watched from the entrance. Currently, in the second section of the Duel Arena, a pet duel was underway between a Hyena and a leopard. The leopard was more ferocious, but the Hyena was more patient. Hyenas were known as the King among dogs; on the African savannah, only lions were their match.
The Hyena’s infamous anal extraction technique was notoriously brutal; once an opportunity arose, it would fiercely strike from behind. Eventually, the Hyena won the match, killed the leopard, and devoured it completely. Cries of pity and curses filled the air, likely over how many Black Market Coins had just been lost on bets.
Jing Shu kicked the fat chicken, which was dozing with its eyes half-closed. She glanced at Monkey’s Ah Huang, who was baring its teeth nearby, clearly aware of the danger. How can this chicken show no reaction at all? If I let the fat chicken fight the Hyena, who knows what would happen? I’m more excited about the idea that, by then, betting on myself to win could bring in a lot of money.
But such tricks only work well the first ti. Making a lot of money from a coback the second ti around isn’t easy. So, I need to save up a good sum before using the fat chicken in a match again.
The tug-of-war contest finally began. The stage in the first section was quickly set up. In the middle was a large pit, two ters wide and three to four ters deep, where two huge pythons were confined. The audience seats in the Duel Arena were elevated, offering a clear view of the giant pythons in the pit. These weren’t ordinary, non-venomous pythons but the famously swift Black Mambas.
They were entirely black and quite long for snakes. Although they lacked the flashy patterns of other pythons, their venom could kill a person within half an hour, ranking them fifth among venomous pythons.
This at isn’t very tasty, and as an ingredient for dicinal liquor, it’s not as effective as my Five-step Snake, Jing Shu mused, contemplating whether to secretly take so of their eggs or young to breed.
The comntator was explaining sothing while distributing the tug-of-war equipnt to both sides. Little Black relayed the explanation, "Hey, this damn comntator said that each of these ugly Black Snakes only needs to eat one person to get full, so we don’t have to worry about our whole team being wiped out. Also, this rope is tied to everyone’s hand and fixed, to prevent escape."
This ti, the tug-of-war contest was brutally simple: pull the opposing team into the pit to feed the venomous snakes. That was it.
Tan Ke frowned. "So, the person in the first position is in the most danger, right?"
"Hey, that’s right," Little Black chid in. "And I already told you, don’t be fooled by my size. My strength is just so-so. I’ll be in the last position, adding so weight for you all."
"Alright, I’ll lead. Snake Spirit second, Monkey third, Mirror fourth, Lingling fifth, and Little Black sixth." After Tan Ke arranged the positions, he was the first to lock himself onto the rope with a handcuff-like device. The others had no objections. Little Black was unaware, but the others knew that with two national-level powerhouses like Tan Ke and Jing Shu present, their combined strength was equivalent to many ordinary people.
Besides, those who had reached their level were all trained. Lingling, for instance, needed considerable strength just to carry her two guns every day. Their strength was definitely far greater than that of ordinary people.
"Damn it! Those shaless people! Look at them, coming onto the field wearing Heavy Armor and bulletproof vests! That significantly increases our difficulty," Little Black complained from the side, but no one paid him any attention.
Both sides were in position, twelve people locked to a single rope. The two teams would pull in opposite directions; the losing team would fall into the pit and be eaten by the pythons.
This thrilling and fun duel was finally about to begin.
"Ladies and gentlen, we invite the respected Miss Pei Qi to give the starting signal! Let us wait and see which team will erge victorious! But before that, may I be so bold as to ask, have you placed your bets? Who are you betting on to win?" The host stood on the stage, looking up at the girl seated high above, lounging on an opulent couch and sipping red wine.
The Duel Arena resembled an overturned bowl. The dueling took place in the center. The first tier consisted of circular rows of seats occupied by the common folk. The second tier, though only as large as the mouth of a small bowl, was extravagantly built. Along its rim, a row of Nobles sat comfortably, seemingly discussing which team had a greater chance of winning.
Miss Pei Qi picked up the microphone. Little Black translated her words from the side: "I must be honest; I favor the team with the professional boxers and fitness coaches. However, I am the house for this round, and more Nobles are betting on the rcenary Team with the boxers. After this round, I might lose a lot of Black Market Coins. But as long as everyone is happy, that’s fine. Money is just a number to ."
"Thank you, Miss Pei Qi. Now, please give the command."
"Then, one, two, three... GO!"
"GOGOGO!" Little Black began to pull with all his might from his position. With his life on the line, he couldn’t just stand by.
anwhile, on the other side, Tan Ke was consulting Snake Spirit.
The rope was quite long, designed to prolong the struggle. To pull an entire team into the deep pit, they would have to be dragged over a dozen ters. This was a contest not only of strength but also of endurance.
As soon as the match began, Tan Ke alone exerted force and stabilized their position. The opposing six n shouted slogans loudly, their rhythm like a work song for pulling radishes, all heaving together. Yet, Tan Ke stood as firm as a tree, unmoving.
Little Black, holding his slack section of the rope, sensed sothing was off. I haven’t even pulled yet! Did the opposition skip a al or sothing?
Snake Spirit couldn’t help but ask wistfully, "What exactly is our objective here?"
"To win this match?" Tan Ke replied.
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