Chapter 66: The Arena Begins
“Dong, dong——”
The door to the private room was knocked on, but before Zhou Ming and the others could respond, it was directly pushed open.
“It’s about time. Everyone, please proceed to the second basement floor to prepare for the arena duel.”
A man in a black suit, clearly not an ordinary waiter, announced coldly to the people inside.
“Let’s go.”
Father Wang gritted his teeth and spoke decisively.
The group stood up and followed the suited man toward the hotel’s second underground floor.
“Wang Yan, the owner behind this hotel doesn’t seem simple, right?”
Walking at the end of the line, Zhou Ming asked Wang Yan in a low voice.
Since this hotel had a suitable venue for Beast Tamers to duel, Zhou Ming guessed it couldn’t have been opened by ordinary people.
“The force behind this Yuelai Hotel is the Iron Hand Gang, the largest gang in the western part of the city. They’re also the witnesses for this duel.”
Hearing Wang Yan’s answer, Zhou Ming nodded in understanding and didn’t ask further.
He was familiar with the gangs within the Blue Star Alliance.
His evaluation was: they’re insignificant.
Zhou Ming said so because of Blue Star’s unique environment.
Every base had a strong city defense army to guard against Ferocious Beasts and alien races.
These defense armies were managed jointly by the Base Council and the Blue Star Alliance, though under normal circumstances, the council had direct control.
Therefore, gangs within the bases could never become true powers—they could only survive by working under the protection of nobles, doing their dirty work.
Moreover, on a world where extraordinary power existed, if a gang ever offended a powerful Beast Tamer, they could only endure being beaten—after all, no Official Rank Beast Tamer would stoop so low as to join a gang for survival.
Moments later, they reached the second basement floor. The suited man pushed open the large door before them, and the scene beyond came into view.
The entire underground floor was about six meters high, with a circular arena occupying nearly a thousand square meters at its center. The surrounding space was supported by thick steel pillars that encircled the area.
The ground and walls were covered in alloy plating, and judging from the marks left behind, it was obvious that Beast duels were often held here.
Behind the steel pillars stood a trapezoidal viewing platform three meters above the arena floor—high enough to both protect spectators and give them a good view.
“An arena…”
The sight before him reminded Zhou Ming of the ancient Roman Colosseum, though much smaller in scale.
As the group entered the empty underground hall, they noticed a group of people already waiting not far away.
When Zhou Ming drew closer, he realized that the group was actually made up of two parties.
One was from the Xin Hui Construction Group, as recorded in the documents—the initiators of this duel.
The other group, Zhou Ming guessed, were members of the Iron Hand Gang, the witnesses of this match.
“Vice Leader Lin has kept you waiting. My apologies.”
Reaching a spot where tables and chairs were arranged, Father Wang bowed slightly to the burly man sitting at the head.
“This is Lin Feibao, Vice Leader of the Iron Hand Gang. He’s an Apprentice Beast Tamer and also a martial expert. Xin Hui Construction Group invited him as the witness for this duel,” Wang Yan whispered to Zhou Ming.
“I’m merely here as a witness today—no need to speak of offenses.”
“Whatever grudges or conflicts of interest you have, I don’t care. I just want to confirm once again—do both parties agree to proceed with this duel?”
“Agreed.”
As soon as Lin Feibao finished speaking, the middle-aged man with gold-rimmed glasses sitting to his right immediately responded.
“Wang Tiezhu, and you?”
“Of course. But if you’re willing to meet our terms, we could avoid this duel altogether. After all, it would be a shame if those three saplings you somehow acquired ended up dying here.”
“Hu Peng, even if I lose, I’ll never agree to your terms. I’d rather cancel those three projects outright.”
“Ha, fiery temper. I haven’t seen someone like you in a while—interesting.”
Hu Peng sneered at Wang Tiezhu’s response.
“Since both parties have agreed to fight, I won’t stop you. But let’s make the rules clear first.”
“First, you may surrender directly—once you do, the opponent must cease attacking. Second, if a beast dies, that side is deemed to have lost. Third, firearms and other hot weapons are forbidden.”
“As for the rest, there are no restrictions. Please move to the left and right sides of the arena to prepare for the match.”
Seeing that both parties were resolved, Lin Feibao didn’t intervene further, simply fulfilling his duty as a witness.
Neither side wasted time. Following Lin Feibao’s instructions, they separated to prepare.
“Wang Yan, that Hu Peng—he’s from Xin Hui Construction Group?”
“Yeah. He’s their internal security manager. He’s only at Apprentice Rank, but I heard he spent a few years wandering the wilderness. No one knows why he ended up as their security manager.”
“Seems Xin Hui Construction Group isn’t taking us seriously—sending just a mid-level employee to deal with us.”
Seeing that Wang Yan’s father was struggling against a mere middle manager, Zhou Ming got a clearer sense of Xin Hui Construction’s strength.
How could such a corporation care about the Wang family’s small projects?
Zhou Ming had asked earlier and learned that the combined profit of those three projects didn’t even exceed ten million. For Father Wang, that was a huge job—but for Xin Hui Construction, it was pocket change.
“In their eyes, we’re probably just a bunch of ignorant bumpkins.”
Thinking of the other side’s arrogance, Wang Yan laughed self-deprecatingly.
“Wang Yan, did you tell Xiao Yun about the duel?”
“No. I only got those three projects because of her connections. How could I trouble her again? And besides, she can’t solve this anyway—unless her parents intervened. But if that happened, I’d never show my face again.”
“Good.”
“What’s wrong?”
Seeing Zhou Ming’s faint sigh of relief, Wang Yan asked quietly.
“Nothing. Just didn’t want her to worry.”
“The first duel will begin in three minutes. Please confirm your combatant order.”
While Zhou Ming and Wang Yan were talking, a member of the Iron Hand Gang shouted loudly.
“Zhou Ming, who’s going first?”
With the match about to start, Wang Yan quickly shifted focus to the order of appearance.
“He Yong, you’ll go first.”
He Yong, who had been standing beside Father Wang, immediately protested.
“Why me first?”
“You’re being paid. That’s the rule. You go first, I’ll go second, and Wang Yan will be last.”
As He Yong was about to retort, Zhou Ming’s eyes turned cold with killing intent, instantly silencing him.
“He Yong, you’ll go first in the opening match. I hope I haven’t misjudged you.”
Father Wang also agreed with Zhou Ming’s arrangement—it made sense; a hired man should do his job.
“Fine.”
Seeing the situation, He Yong had no choice but to agree.
“The first arena duel begins! Both sides, take the stage!”
This time, Lin Feibao personally officiated.
He Yong then walked down the nearby stairs and entered the arena.