Once the vehicle entered Strifehold, the city came into view. Surrounded by mountains and centered around a large lake, the place was truly a sight to behold. Out in the lake, one could also see the giant landmass and square where the Bloodspire stadium was located.
It was still far away, yet they could see the large statue in the distance. Another thing that struck them was the extremely wide roads with multiple lanes as they drove through the city, and how spacious the land was.
Everything just felt like it was on a massive scale. There were even large outdoor spaces carved into the architecture surrounding the actual doors of buildings, making it look like a place for giants.
There was one thing that every major city seemed unable to avoid, despite the several lanes for cars, and that was traffic.
“I guess everyone’s going to the stadium today, so it looks like it’s going to be quite busy,” Park said nervously as he went to honk his horn. “Oi, what the F*ck do you think you’re doing? Do you have balls for eyes or something? You can see I’m trying to move forward, why did you cut me off?”
There was almost another side to Park as the traffic emerged, something that brought out the monster inside him. It was good to have someone like this in this situation; otherwise, they would never be able to move in the standstill traffic.
“So, you’re part of the AFC, right?” Austin asked. “And you’re quite high-ranked as well. Didn’t you just get into the top fifty or something? Then shouldn’t they at least give you tickets to these events?”
“Actually, I quit the AFC,” Xin said.
Gary turned his head, as this was news to him as well.
“My goal was always just to get into the top fifty to prove to my dad that I could look after myself. I’ve done that, and my dad doesn’t control my life anymore. Not that he had much say for a while.
“I love the AFC, but I like it as a hobby. My goal isn’t to reach number one. I quit to find out more about what was going on with Jayden. I didn’t realize this whole thing was linked to him,” Xin replied.
Tickets were incredibly hard to get for the event. Any fight that included Harvor, especially one against a top contender, was a hot ticket. Although Jayden wasn’t ranked second in the AFC, he had a large fan base, particularly a large female audience due to his looks.
“I see. Well, I guess Ice and I will just have to wait outside since we don’t have any tickets,” Austin said. “I only came along in case there’s another mess. Worst case, if something happens, the two of us will be enough to break you out of this city.”
“And then what, run back to Slough?” Gary said. “I don’t want Slough to be affected again. I wouldn’t do that... not that anything is going to happen anyway.”
When Gary said those words, it was as if he didn’t completely believe them himself.
The car was making decent progress, but then they approached the Bloodspire stadium. There was a queue of cars waiting to head into the large car park outside, and although they had left early, it was frustrating just staying in the car when they could see the stadium up ahead, so close.
“Hey, do you want to just head there, stretch our legs? I think it would be quicker if we walked,” Gary suggested.
“Yeah, that’ll be fine,” Park replied. “I can park up and just go have something to eat somewhere in the city. Us boys can catch the fight in one of those sports bars, so you don’t have to worry about us.”
“Us boys?” Ice said.
“Look, he says some cringey stuff sometimes, but think about it—he’s a good guy, like you, right Ice? You’re supposed to be cool as well, being ‘Ice’ and all,” Austin said, cracking up at his own joke. “Ha!”
Ice just shook his head. This trip, meant to see the life Gary lived and to determine if he was a good person worth helping, was giving him a bit of a headache. He was missing the quiet days of being alone in a prison cell.
Xin agreed, and the two quickly decided to leave the car and walk across the pathway to the stadium, leaving the others behind. On their way there, they passed countless people.
Just like last time, Gary was wearing his black wig so he wouldn’t attract too much attention, but soon he realized it was pretty useless because the one getting attention wasn’t him.
“Hey, isn’t that Xin Clove?” one of the bystanders said. “Do you mind if I get a photo with you?”
Xin nodded. “Sure.”
She went ahead, taking one photo, and that started it all. After taking one photo after another, more and more people began recognizing her. Being part of the top fifty, she wasn’t extremely famous.
However, the people who would be attending to watch today’s match were hardcore AFC fans, so they would, of course, recognize Xin.
“Hey, hey, no more photos, guys!” Gary said. “You’re crowding her.”
“Is that... is that Xin’s boyfriend?” others said as they started taking photos of the both of them.
Several phones were pointed up at the two of them, and Gary couldn’t help but feel like he had made the situation worse.
“Hey, over here quickly!” another person shouted.
Hearing this, the fans’ attention soon turned. “Look at who just arrived, it’s Apollo!”
Memories started to flood into Gary's mind, as the name was coming in and out. He had heard the name but it wasn't exactly clear where from and then it hit him.
“Apollo?” Gary raised an eyebrow. “That big bear guy from the AFA?”