Chapter 53: An Acquaintance in the Ring.
Chapter 53
The annual Gladiator Competition,
the most anticipated major event on M Continent,
was hosted and regulated by the most powerful organization: God's Armed Alliance.
Two days before the start of the Gladiator Competition, more than half of the people had arrived in advance. Accommodations within radius had been fully booked half a month ago.
You would think such a bloody and violent mass fighting event would be held secretly. On the contrary, the Gladiator Competition had become part of the local culture, held in the northwest region near the prosperous area of M Continent.
To the west of the Gladiator Arena was the flourishing downtown.
On the other side was the endless desert.
The Gladiator Competition lasted ten days. Those without a place to stay brought their own tents and skillfully set up camps in the desert.
Qiao Ying and her group were no exception.
"Little Sack, come take a walk with me around here?"
"There's nothing nice to see in this crappy place, just sand. And I told you not to call me that!" Sack crawled out of his tent, rushed to Qiao Ying in exasperation.
"There are too many people here, we'd better not draw too much attention. The Gladiator Competition will begin in a few hours." Bai Xiao came over and said.
As Bai Xiao had suggested, they looked around.
By now, tens of thousands of tents, big and small, had been set up in this area, making it look like some huge tribe if you didn't know better.
As far as you could see, there were all kinds of people with different skin colors.
The one thing they had in common was that none of them were up to any good.
Their murderous eyes wandered over them.
Some were even more daring, standing near their tents, stropping their daggers while staring at them provocatively and mockingly.
Those eyes looked at them as if they were preys ready for the taking.
Clearly after the events of the past few days, the long-fallen Blackwater Mercenary Group had regained the attention of various forces.
This was not a good thing for Bai Xiao and the others.
The former Blackwater Mercenary Group had reached the pinnacle with the fewest people and absolute disadvantages. Their leader's overly ostentatious actions had already made many enemies.
Now their rise would inevitably make them the target of relentless suppression.
And Bai Xiao and the others were clearly powerless to resist.
Qiao Ying disdained, "Those asking for death can come get some."
"Watch that loose tongue of yours." Sack sneered and got back into his tent.
Soon he came out with a blanket and threw it to Qiao Ying.
Sack said resentfully, "Desert weather fluctuates greatly day and night. Don't freeze to death, tender little girl!"
Qiao Ying said, "Wasn't your former leader also a little girl?"
Sack immediately changed his expression, "Don't compare yourself to our leader, you are not worthy."
Qiao Ying thought to herself: It seemed she would have to fight thirty-three consecutive battles again in this Gladiator Competition to truly shake Nameless' place in their hearts. Only then could she gain their absolute loyalty like Nameless did.
Only by becoming famous in one battle at the Gladiator Competition could she deter those eyeing Blackwater Mercenary Group like tigers eyeing their prey.
Looking at the blanket in her hand, Qiao Ying couldn't help but complain to herself: Her former subordinates no longer acknowledged her. She had to defeat her former self to win them over. What kind of crap was this?
By six o'clock, the sky had darkened.
More and more people gathered towards the Gladiator Arena. Almost everyone from the northwest had come.
Some wore combat uniforms with the same insignia, moving in groups.
Some were lone rangers. There were also many bounty hunters.
There were even gangs from all over the world who came to join in the fun or with other agendas...
As soon as Qiao Ying and her group appeared, they immediately attracted a lot of attention.
Most recognized Bai Xiao and glanced over him and the others before their eyes quickly shifted to Qiao Ying, who was out of place here.
A woman showing up here was a rarity in itself.
Let alone an innocent-looking eighteen or nineteen-year-old girl from China.
Whether compared to the sinister dark environment here, or the burly, murderous thugs, Qiao Ying stood out sharply.
It was hard not to notice her.
Although the former leader of Blackwater, Nameless, also had an innocent face like this girl, and was even more stunningly beautiful, a real femme fatale.
But that femme fatale could kill.
Those who had seen Nameless at previous Gladiator Competitions, or heard of her deeds, knew better than to underestimate her because she was female.
They rarely saw Nameless as a woman.
It was as if wherever Bai Xiao and the others went, those eyes followed.
"That's definitely not Nameless."
"Blackwater Mercenary Group can only rely on women now, it seems."
"What's the relationship between this girl and Nameless?"
"Is she the one who made Hurricane Mercenaries flee in defeat?"
"Don't act rashly for now. She doesn't look simple. What if she's another Nameless? We can't afford that."
"Blackwater didn't participate last year. They actually dare show up this year. Are they planning to let that girl enter?"
"Hurricane Mercenaries suffered quite a loss at their hands the other day. I heard they plan to make a move on them tonight."
"Well, let's just sit back and enjoy the show then."
The Gladiator Arena was modeled after the ancient Roman amphitheaters built around 72-80 AD. From the aerial view it was oval, and circular when viewed from the ground. It covered about 15,000 square meters and could hold close to 60,000 people, making it a major landmark on M Continent.
Since Bai Xiao and the others arrived late, they didn't want to draw too much attention and chose an inconspicuous spot.
Overlooking the arena below, two men were already rolling up their sleeves preparing to fight.
After missing last year's Gladiator Competition, Sack was very excited this year, "Want to place a bet? I want to bet on the tall one to win."
Thanks to Qiao Ying these past few days, they finally had some money after a whole year of only losing money on bets, so much that they couldn't even afford meals. Sack's diet had improved these days.
"Keep it. Bet everything on me winning on the last day. Borrow and mortgage whatever you can then. Just bet however much we have." Qiao Ying leaned against the railing, looking down.
Sack opened his mouth, wanting to retort, but then closed it, aware of Qiao Ying's capabilities.
Still he said resentfully, "The contenders on the last day won't be easy to deal with."
Bai Xiao also looked at Qiao Ying. He didn't know the extent of Qiao Ying's full abilities. The ones who tried to rob them these past few days were just mediocre mercenaries, but with greater numbers.
It showed that Qiao Ying was patient and suitable for prolonged battles, but didn't necessarily suit the one-on-one quick decisive battles of the Gladiator Arena.
With what Qiao Ying had shown so far, fighting three or four rounds would be no problem. But his intuition told him that Qiao Ying would not stop at just three or four rounds.
Qiao Ying casually said, "Then the payout will be even higher."
The first battle was about to start.
Qiao Ying boredly waited for it to start when she suddenly looked up and saw a familiar face standing right across from them up on the next level.
The man was in a fine suit and had a cold, stern expression.
His hands were tucked into his pant pockets as he stood tall and straight.
Compared to the unkempt thugs around him living among bullets and bloodshed, he was a picture of stark contrast.