Chapter 76: Chapter 71 Martyr
“`
Xu Mo never intended to let him live.
“Young man, your heart is really dark,” said Councilman Zornes.
“Not as dark as you old folks,” Xu Mo retorted.
“Hmph,” Councilman Zornes sneered, “You’re going to the Arena, what about them?”
“They will stay here for the time being. Once the Star Competition starts, they will leave,” Xu Mo responded.
“How can I be certain that you will keep your word?” asked Councilman Zornes.
“I didn’t kill Councilman Tyrone’s children,” Xu Mo replied.
Councilman Zornes fell silent.
That day, Xu Mo and his group had killed many people. If he had wanted to kill them, Councilman Tyrone’s children would not have survived.
But Xu Mo did not do so, which showed he was not a person who delighted in killing.
If he could spare the family of Councilman Tyrone, naturally, he would also spare his family if he kept his word.
Councilman Zornes understood that he seemed to have no choice.
If he disagreed, Xu Mo would go on a killing spree tonight.
“Wait for me,” Zornes said as he walked aside and whispered something to the housekeeper.
A moment later, the housekeeper left toward the outside.
Xu Mo quickly realized that the people outside had been cleared out.
Those who had seen him enter were all dead.
Only then did he understand why the place was so deserted.
Afterward, Councilman Zornes arranged a few more matters.
Xu Mo did not interfere, but nothing Councilman Zornes said escaped his perception.
He was making arrangements for after his departure tomorrow, ensuring the safety of this place.
At that moment, Xu Mo frowned, and then he threw a Metallic Poker card into the darkness.
With a thud, the housekeeper clutched his throat as blood spattered across Councilman Zornes’s face.
Councilman Zornes’s face turned pale as he turned his head and stared at Xu Mo.
“Mr. Councilman, the next time, it won’t just be the housekeeper,” Xu Mo said.
“Understood,” Zornes said, his eyes filled with more wariness as he looked at Xu Mo. He can hear our conversation?
He had just been arranging how to deal with Ye Qingdie and the others after he left tomorrow.
“Please lead us in,” Xu Mo walked towards the villa, with Councilman Zornes following behind.
Ye Qingdie and the others followed as well. They would stay here all night.
“I have some questions for Mr. Councilman regarding the weapons and strength of personnel in the Underworld, as well as the security arrangements for the Arena tomorrow,” Xu Mo asked as he entered the villa.
He needed to get a clearer picture.
He had a rough idea of the armed force in the Underworld, but it wasn’t specific enough.
He needed to know these things if he was to enter the Arena tomorrow.
……
The next day, the entire Underground City shook.
From early morning, the Arena at the heart of the City State was already packed with people.
Many gathered outside the Arena.
Of course, most of them didn’t have tickets and could only watch the projection outside.
The tickets for the Star Competition were too expensive, averaging a thousand Federation coins, and only a minority could afford them.
But even so, the tickets for the Star Competition were sold out on the day of issue.
Such is the charm of the Arena.
The Star Competition is the grandest event in the Underworld, even those from outside the Main City rush to join the excitement and witness the feast.
The Arena itself was built by the City State.
During the Star Competition, many members of the City State Guard and Law Enforcement Team are present inside and outside the Arena to maintain order and provide security.
Today, the ‘big shots’ of the City State will also come to attend this grand feast.
Therefore, nothing must go wrong.
At this moment, the Arena had already started to admit spectators.
Those with tickets proceeded towards the Arena, while those without had to stay outside.
“I really want to go inside and see,” a young man in the crowd said, gazing into the Arena, but his total wealth amounted to only three hundred Federation coins—not enough to buy a single ticket.
“The top ten of the Star Competition will receive huge Federation coin rewards. I wonder if we’ll have a chance to participate in the Star Competition in the future,” someone next to him yearned.
“It’s not just the Federation coin prizes. With the big shots present at the Star Competition, just being selected could make you a guard officer for them and even be chosen to go up to the world above. That’s what everyone dreams of, to take enough Federation coins to the world above.”
“Yeah, no one would refuse such a temptation. But many who participate in the Star Competition are already core members of the City State.”
“Still, every year, quite a few aspiring individuals change their fate and leave the Underworld.”
Countless people aspired and dreamed that one day they would have such an opportunity.
The Arena is the most exhilarating place and a location where fates are changed.
Among the crowd, a group of young people made their way inside.
This group had an extraordinary aura about them. Hearing the discussions of those around them, they wore a faint look of scorn.
Change their fate?
Ants fantasizing about changing their fates is nothing but a foolish dream.
Their fates were sealed from birth.
No one can defy such a destiny.
Who told them to be born in the Underground?
“`
“Lindi, how many are you planning to kill this time?” someone asked amidst the crowd.
Dressed in black attire, Lindi casually placed his hands in his pockets.
Glancing up at the Arena, he muttered, “I don’t know if I’ll encounter anyone worth fighting, hope I won’t be too disappointed.”
“Those guys asked us to go easy on them, people from the Star Competition, they’re somewhat useful to keep around,” a woman nearby spoke up.
“Got it,” Lindi’s voice sounded somewhat lazy.
Those who could make it into the Star Competition from the Underworld actually had decent talent.
If brought up above, they might turn out to be outstanding individuals.
However, they were born in the wrong place.
Even if nurtured, those born in the Underworld wouldn’t have independent personalities.
Instead, they would be puppets!
Some annoying folks above always liked to ‘talk about human rights,’ damn morality.
If it weren’t for the company developing ‘war machines,’ those moralists would have died countless times in the post-war era.
The Underworld was still more straightforward, doing whatever one pleases.
This time, however, they had lost two people.
The fat one was very violent, having taken a ‘strengthening type’ Genetic Evolution Liquid. He belonged to the A sequence, C grade and, having fully digested and absorbed it, he unexpectedly unleashed the power of the peak C grade.
And there was another who had escaped capture.
He killed Everson.
Lindi still hadn’t figured out how the other man managed to do it.
Such people shouldn’t exist in the Underworld.
He wondered when he would find him, and he would personally finish him off!
As time passed, the crowd gradually arrived.
Some participants also arrived one after another.
Siba was a Berserker, towering and muscular, his body wrapped in a massive Mechanical Body, his gear made him easily recognizable.
Many onlookers surrounded him, and as Siba walked forward, he carried a strong oppressive aura that made the crowd step aside.
Siba looked up and took a deep breath before continuing on his way.
Today would be the day his fate changed; he would leave the nightmare of the Underworld, ending decades of nightmarish life.
Another figure arrived, tall and lanky, also surrounded by many onlookers, who murmured among themselves.
“Parasite,” the people around commented.
This man, code-named Parasite, was of course not an actual ‘parasite.’
On the contrary, he was very strong, incredibly strong, with a distinctive style.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have fought his way to the Star Competition.
Looking up at the steps above, a hint of a sacred light flashed in his eyes.
Would his destiny change from now on?
Lifting his feet, he walked toward the steps of the Arena.
All the efforts of these years were for this day.
He had survived for many years, finally reaching this day.
Apart from the participating contestants, the big shots also arrived one after another, but they had other passages, which the ordinary public had no chance to see.
At that moment, Xu Mo followed Councilman Zornes’ car through a special passage and entered the Arena.
This was his first time taking the special passage.
…
Today, the City State Main City was deserted.
It seemed like everyone had come out.
Especially in the area around the Arena, countless people walked on the streets, heading in the direction of the Arena.
The population of the Underworld was already dense; standing on a rooftop in the distance, looking toward the Arena, one could witness a spectacular scene.
Stretching from below to the Arena, it was all people.
At this moment, on the rooftops of different streets, mysterious figures appeared.
They stood on the roofs, holding a stack of papers, then tossed them down below.
Papers fluttered in the sky, creating a grand spectacle.
The people below looked up at the fluttering papers, curious about what they were.
As the papers floated down, many reached out to catch them, and upon reading the content, their hearts violently lurched.
It was as if, in an instant, their enthusiastically surging hearts were dragged back to reality.
More and more people saw the content of the papers, all were profoundly shaken, feeling a tingling on their scalps.
They wanted to forget, but reality kept reminding them.
This was a cannibalistic world.
They looked up at the people on the rooftops throwing down papers, only to see that they now held guns to their own heads.
They fired!
The bullets went through their heads, and their bodies fell towards the space below, the crowd scattering to avoid them, creating chaos.
“Bang.”
The bodies hit the ground, and the people around looked at those lying in pools of blood.
A word came to their minds.
Martyrdom!