Chen Jinzhao had a good eye for people; he could tell who was stronger at a glance.
The results of the previous few matches were all predicted by Chen Jinzhao.
He had even placed a few bets, but he played small and the returns weren't high. Chen Jinzhao sighed inwardly, realizing he was too slow at this rate.
Beside him.
Tao Qiyue's delicate face was pale, and she sat there in a daze.
The fighting arena was incredibly brutal. In the seven or eight matches fought so far, four people had already died.
They died on the spot.
Tao Qiyue couldn't understand why these people were doing this; it was a death sentence.
What's more, the audience seemed indifferent to the gravity of life and death. After the fighters on the stage were beaten to death, cheers erupted, which she found utterly incomprehensible.
She turned to look at Chen Jinzhao and found him looking calm.
Chen Jinzhao sensed Tao Qiyue's gaze and immediately knew what she was thinking, "It can't be helped, the sponsors are paying a lot of money, aren't they? If not, who would risk their lives for them?"
Although Chen Jinzhao also found this behavior deplorable, it was the reality.
As for these spectators, most of them were likely gamblers burdened by debt. They could barely take care of themselves, so how could they care about the lives of others?
They had become numb.
"One can only say that where sunlight cannot reach, darkness will breed."
Tao Qiyue sighed.
The darkness was right in front of her, yet she was powerless, filling her with a deep sense of helplessness.
By the end of the first half, Chen Jinzhao had raked in over a hundred thousand.
Those sitting around Chen Jinzhao's eyes turned red, as he accurately predicted every outcome, as if he had a sixth sense.
In the VIP box.
Ning Fei was also keeping a close eye on Chen Jinzhao's actions. After watching for a while, he frowned and said, "I get it. The scoundrel is making money, and he's even managed to bet correctly."
"Heh heh..."
"This bit of money isn't even enough to tickle my teeth."
"Little Teng-kun, the person I want to deal with is him. Later, I will find a way to have him challenge you on stage."
"Do you have confidence?"
The middle-aged man sitting next to Ning Fei opened his eyes, his gaze sharp as he scrutinized Chen Jinzhao in the audience. After a careful look, he said in a deep voice, "This fellow is indeed a fighter, but I shouldn't have any problem dealing with him."
Ning Fei's eyes lit up.
No matter how one looked at it, Chen Jinzhao's strength was only at C-class.
Xiao Teng Genichiro's combat power reached the C+ level, and he could indeed easily handle Chen Jinzhao.
"Then I'll trouble you, Little Teng-kun. I'll pay you ten million as a reward after this is done," Ning Fei said with a smile, not even including the remuneration for acting as his bodyguard.
Xiao Teng Genichiro smiled faintly and closed his eyes, no longer paying attention.
Half an hour later.
The fighting arena was cleaned up, and the second half officially began.
The first to enter the ring was a fighter kept by a wealthy man from Ninghai City, nicknamed 'Leopard'. Leopard's skin was dark, and though his muscles weren't excessively developed, they exuded an aura of violent aesthetics. His narrow, hawk-like eyes occasionally flashed with sharp glints, making it difficult to look directly at him.
His opponent was 'Tu Long', a subordinate of Master Shui.
Tao Qiyue was also curious about the duel between these two desperate men. "Chen Jinzhao, who do you think will win?"
"What do you think?" Chen Jinzhao didn't answer but asked Tao Qiyue instead.
Tao Qiyue voiced her thoughts, "Leopard's muscle mass is more impressive. In contrast, Tu Long is short and his muscles are far inferior to Leopard's. I think Leopard has a guaranteed victory."
Chen Jinzhao listened and shook his head with a smile, "I have the opposite opinion. I think Tu Long will win."
Pfft—
Tao Qiyue didn't laugh, but Yu Huaixuan did.
He had been eavesdropping on their conversation earlier and couldn't help but chuckle when he heard Chen Jinzhao betting on Tu Long. He said sarcastically, "How about we make a bet? I'll bet on Leopard winning!"
"Leopard is a constant winner in the underground boxing ring. He has a glorious record of eight consecutive wins, and he's killed at least seven or eight people."
"Chen Jinzhao, do you dare to bet?"
Betting in an underground boxing ring also had rules; it wasn't just talk. Both parties could have the bookie as a witness, but the bookie would take a 5% commission.
Before making a bet, a deposit must be paid to the bookie. The party who defaults will not only be fined but also punished by Master Shui.
After all.
In the Jiangnan Province region, if Master Shui sets his sights on you, there's basically no survival.
Tao Qiyue opened her mouth, not wanting Chen Jinzhao to suffer a loss in this regard. To her surprise, Chen Jinzhao readily agreed, "Alright, then I'll play one round with you. Name your price, but don't make it too high; I might not be able to afford it."
If there's a fool to fleece, is he really a saint?
Yu Huaixuan hadn't expected Chen Jinzhao to agree so readily. After a moment of thought, he said, "You're quite bold. How about we bet one million? What do you say?"
Chen Jinzhao didn't waste any words and agreed directly.
Both of them paid the deposit to Master Shui, and the bet was officially sealed.
"You're too impulsive. That's a million, a considerable sum," Tao Qiyue said, finding Chen Jinzhao too reckless.
Chen Jinzhao smiled easily, "Just watch."
Tao Qiyue wanted to say something but stopped. She felt that Chen Jinzhao's confidence wasn't unfounded. She turned her gaze back to the two fighters on the stage who hadn't yet engaged, but she couldn't discern anything.
What was going on?
Chen Jinzhao was confident of victory, his mind as clear as day.
The reason he was so certain Tu Long would win was that the rules for the second half were different from the first. In the first half, after admitting defeat, the opponent could no longer attack. However, in the second half, the rule was that victory was decided by death; even begging on one's knees was useless. Only by determining life and death could a victor be declared. This was done to prevent fixed matches.
The odds for the former were 1.1, while Tu Long's were 1.15, indicating that their strength should be roughly equal.
But there was one thing others couldn't see—
Leopard had a hidden injury, which was highly likely to flare up during this fight.
"I have to say, this is quite fair," Chen Jinzhao muttered with a smile.
Yu Huaixuan sneered, "Chen Jinzhao, I didn't expect you to have one million. Did my foolish sister give it to you? You're going to lose this million."
Chen Jinzhao ignored him. Yu Huaixuan snorted and turned his head away.
The entire arena's lights converged on the stage.
Amidst the host's passionate shouts, the fight officially began.
Leopard launched the first offensive, catching Tu Long completely off guard, putting him at a significant disadvantage. Most people had bet on Leopard, and the cheers in the arena began to grow enthusiastic.
Yu Huaixuan smiled.
Anyone with eyes could see that Tu Long was no match for Leopard.
Chen Jinzhao was destined to lose.