Not far from them, a person was being beaten to a pulp, spraying the air with flesh and blood. His opponent showed no signs of letting up. He aimed a flying kick at his face. A tooth fell to the floor. His entire skull was a mess of flesh and blood.
Huiyin clutched Wang Zheng’s shirt in terror. Her earlier enthusiasm had vanished in an instant.
She found the notion of going wild an interesting one, but gore was something else.
“That person has already surrendered. Why would he still continue beating him? He might have died!” Lin Huiyin said.
Wang Zheng was unsure of how to handle her naivety. This was a cage match, which followed the rules of the underground. All who entered the arena signed a contract of life and death.
Either kill or be killed. Wanton release, wild abandonment, the place was intensely charged with emotions. It showed the primitive side of mankind. Perhaps in the day, some of these people walked the streets in suits and leather shoes, but for this moment, they were no more than primal beasts.
Wang Zheng was a little excited. He had always been sensitive to the emotions in the environment. He was tempted to drop his composure, but he checked his emotions.
“Huiyin, let’s go.” Wang Zheng turned around, only to realise that Huiyin had already moved toward the cage matches and even entered the arena.
The cage door was not locked, because no one in their right mind would open it. Unless it was a clueless girl.
“Stop hitting him, he’ll die. He’s already surrendered.”
Lin Huiyin said.
The gladiator towered at over two meters in height. He let out a cold, thin smile. “Wench, this isn’t your playground!”
He swatted towards her carelessly. Lin Huiyin had some foundations in dance and was able to respond quickly. However, he still managed to brush her, and the wig fell to the floor, revealing her lustrous golden hair as she fell to the floor.
Wang Zheng caught Huiyin. “This girl sure could attract trouble,” he thought to himself. He was about to leave when he realized that the door had been shut by the onlookers outside.
“A new round will now begin. Let’s see how Fang deals with these two tender young prey.”
“One per punch, probably. I can’t wait to see it.”
The onlookers had worked themselves into a twisted frenzy.
Entering the cage meant battle. No one checked or cared who you were.
Fang stared at Lin Huiyin with his huge eyes. His gaze was filled with desire, as though he wanted to crush her.
Lin Huiyin raised her fists gamely. She tried her best to meet his gaze and appear unintimidated. She was a princess of Aslan, and there was nothing to be afraid of.
However, her small frame was quivering, and Wang Zheng knew she could not handle herself. He gently pulled her behind himself.
“Everything’s fine. Close your eyes and don’t look.”
Raucous laughter rang out from around him. Wang Zheng was not even 20 years of age, and his stature was dwarfed by his opponent’s.
Also, those who had earned a nickname from fighting in the cage were by no means rookies.
“Runt, you and her are both mine. I’ll crush you first, then enjoy her!”
The number of onlookers swelled, curious as to who had been foolish enough to enter the cage. After watching macho-types go at it for so long, this new spectacle was something to behold.
In close-quarters combat, this bunch of fighters could probably outclass many specially trained elite warriors.
Wang Zheng knew that he had to finish this quickly and decisively.
Fang’s huge fists darted towards Wang Zheng. At this moment, he sensed danger, so he instinctively ducked, but Wang Zheng had already slipped through his guard.
BANG…
With a deafening sound like an avalanche, Fang flew out and crashed directly into the cage with a clatter.
The entire arena was stunned, then they broke out into even more frenzied hoots. Who knew that this runt was actually trained in martial arts?
Wang Zheng’s blow packed considerable strength, but his opponent merely spat out a mouthful of blood and stood back up.
Fang wiped his mouth, and his face contorted even further. “Little brat, you aren’t totally helpless – I’ll give you that. Rest easy, I won’t let you die painlessly!”
As he taunted, he beat his chest savagely.
This person was almost definitely on steroids. Almost all cage fighters used them. When faced with the prospect of death every day, these were small matters. The kick should have crippled a normal opponent’s ability to fight.
Fang rushed towards Wang Zheng like a berserker, lashing out with a foot. Wang Zheng had no way to dodge it, because Huiyin was standing directly behind him.
… and there was no need to dodge anyway.
BANG…
Everyone was open-mouthed with astonishment. Fang’s kick had actually been blocked!!!
This kid who looked like he would be destroyed in an instant had actually blocked the kick, and with ease. He had not moved back so much as an inch, although the recoil alone would probably have been enough to crush the cute loli behind him to death.
Lin Huiyin was still clutching Wang Zheng’s shirt with one hand. This little wench… she was still peeking through the gaps of her fingers.
Fang became even more malevolent. Damn bastard, what strength! His many years of cage fighting experience told him that this brat was no easy opponent.
Suddenly, his hand brushed his back and he darted in, knife stabbing towards Wang Zheng.
He had another dagger sheathed against his thigh. This was a violation of the rules. Either both sides used weapons or went without, but who cared at this point?
Survival was king.
Wang Zheng’s only option was to dodge, but he could not do it. Bloodthirsty eagerness exuded from the crowd around him. If he did not sidestep the blow, he would be beheaded. If he did, the beautiful girl behind him would be cut to death. It was such a waste, but what a beautiful feeling!
Wang Zheng blocked the knife with his right arm without hesitation. Ping…
Fang wanted to behead his opponent – to think he would be foiled! However, his knife had bitten deep into the bone.
Wang Zheng’s face was expressionless, as though the one being cut was someone else. He took advantage of his opponent’s surprise to cut through his guard. With a low grunt, he landed a solid punch on his opponent.
This time he did not hold back.
Although there was no sound, Fang’s eyes bulged. Wang Zheng took a step back and walked to the edge of the cage. He could not count on these people to open the cage. Furthermore, he was out of time. It was possible that Huiyin could be recognized at any moment.
“What’s wrong, Fang? Did you play around too much yesterday?”
“What is this fellow doing?”
Screech…
The metal cage had been torn apart to create a hole. The onlookers fell into a hush, shocked by the scene in front of their eyes.
At this point, Wang Zheng seemed especially formidable. He flung the lock aside and kicked the door down. Pulling Lin Huiyin after him, he walked towards the outside.
Nobody dared to stop him. They had noticed Fang’s chest, which was completely caved in.
In the moment where he had kicked open the door, Fang had collapsed onto the floor.
It seemed as though there were people running towards them from a distance. No matter who it was, it could not be a good thing. Wang Zheng hugged Huiyin with his left hand and ran for the exit.
This time, Huiyin made no objection and obeyed without a sound.
Indeed, people were clustering around. Wang Zheng was a typical troublemaker case who had violated the rules. To the management of the Fallen Paradise, this type of person had to be investigated.
Wang Zheng did not care, but Huiyin could not be exposed. Furthermore, she was Aina’s younger sister.
Anyone who got in the way was flung to the side unceremoniously by Wang Zeng, unhindered by the wound on his right arm.
As they rushed out, things were in a complete mess. Wang Zheng read the tempo perfectly, surveying the situation unfolding around them. When they were close to the entrance, the pursuers began to slow down, clearly intending to give up.
Once they had left the Fallen Paradise and returned to the outside world, they had to follow the rules of the outside.
Clearly, troublemaking in the Fallen Paradise was no unusual thing. No one took any notice of Wang Zheng or Lin Huiyin. Wang Zheng only let Huiyin go when they had left the place far behind.
He shrugged out of his shirt and used it to bandage his arm. Lin Huiyin stared at his bloody arm and could not repress a shudder.
“S… sorry…” Huiyin did not know how to say it. She had only wanted to experience a different world. She had no idea that the world outside her sheltered existence was so completely different.
Wang Zheng eyed Lin Huiyin and laughed. “For what?”
Lin Huiyin was surprised. “You’re not going to get mad at me?”
“Why would I get mad at you? Just because you caused some inconvenience?” Wang Zheng smiled.
Huiyin nodded abashedly.
“It’s nothing. I wanted to look around the Fallen Paradise myself too. All in all, it was pretty exciting, haha.”
Others normally did not understand Wang Zheng’s attitude. Every once in a while, his bloodthirst would accumulate, but he always managed it carefully. Bonehead’s training was calibrated for warriors on the battlefield, and in this peaceful period, he did not want to become a killer demon. However, an occasional release like this was cathartic.
Lin Huiyin stared blankly at Wang Zheng. When they were on the run, she had been regretting her decision every step of the way. She was dreading the scolding from Wang Zheng, which she thought was inevitably coming. Throughout her life, her rebellious acts had always been chastised for hours on end.
“Why are you looking at me like that? If I were you, I’d bring bodyguards the next time I wanted to do something like that. Risky fun is good and all, but safety comes first.” As he said it, he patted her head affectionately. She must have been scared out of her wits.
Lin Huiyin nodded. She looked at his arm and blurted out, “It’s bleeding again. Let’s get you to the hospital.”
Wang Zheng waved it off. “Small matter. I’ve had worse injuries during IG training. I’ll take care of it myself once I get back to the hotel.”
Lin Huiyin bit her lip, hesitating. “Thanks.”
Wang Zheng responded with a smile. “Off with you then. Thanks to you, I feel younger again.”
Lin Huiyin couldn’t resist responding. “You’re not much older than me to begin with.”
He took Lin Huiyin back. From the looks of it, she wouldn’t be running off by herself any time soon. The more you forbade children from doing something, the more they wanted to do it. What they needed was an experience that trumped any amount of lecturing.
Mars was still a pretty formidable place. That punk’s fighting ability was something fierce.
Back in his room, he opened the first aid box and used antiseptic to clean his wound with a practiced hand. This was a matter of course to Wang Zheng. Wounds were nothing but pain, and in the matter of enduring pain, Wang Zheng was exceptional.
It was at these times that one needed to rest most. Wang Zheng quickly fell into a deep sleep, speeding up his body’s recovery.
This trip to Mars had been full of surprises.
Lin Huiyin crept back to her room, where Angela was already waiting at the door. When she saw Huiyin come back safely, she heaved a sigh of relief. She was so sure the princess would not be able to sneak out, but she had slipped out even under her watchful eye.
Lin Huiyin closed the door on Angela without a word. With her back to the door, the little princess let out a smile. She was beginning to understand why her cousin liked this guy so much. He was special. Maybe she should help them out a little.