Qin Hao looked over and saw the man speaking, dressed in Nike gear, with trendy hair and a stylish fringe, his gaze full of provocation.
"Ning Yuan, how many of us have really come here to gamble on boxing?" Zhao Mengke shot the man a glance.
This man was called Ning Yuan, his family owned an entertainment company, with a bit of money. He had been classmates with Zhao Mengke since middle school, relentlessly pursuing her but never succeeding. Qin Hao's words had almost made him question his own existence.
Now Ning Yuan was filled with hostility towards Qin Hao, seemingly looking for trouble.
"Alright, alright, let's get in quickly, the betting match has started." At this moment, Yu Dongling hurried to mediate, pulling Zhao Mengke towards a small door in the corner of the parking lot.
Originally, to enter the betting match, one had to pay a 'carriage fee', which was similar to a ticket. There were security personnel at the entrance to search and confiscate phones and other prohibited items.
But when these people saw Yu Dongling, they all bowed their heads and made way, daring not speak, allowing Qin Hao and the others to pass unobstructed.
"Hehe, do you know why they don't dare stop us?" Zhao Mengke giggled beside Qin Hao.
"Why?" Qin Hao asked curiously.
"Because this is Dongling's father's territory." Zhao Mengke boasted, "Not just here, but even the entire Qingshan City's Dark World has to show some respect to Dongling's father."
Qin Hao was taken aback, looked at Yu Dongling a few more times, surprised that this seemingly gentle girl had such a background.
Zhao Mengke held onto Yu Dongling, her big eyes full of curiosity, looking around.
Qin Hao walked alongside Lin Yuhan.
Behind them were five men and two women. Aside from Ning Yuan walking with an air of haughtiness, seeming very familiar with this place, the others were like Zhao Mengke, finding it all very novel.
This boxing arena was about 400 square meters, with four spotlights above, illuminating the whole place brightly. Despite being underground, it didn't have a dim feel.
Moreover, the management here was orderly, without the sleazy atmosphere many might imagine of a Black Boxing Arena.
At this moment, there were about 300 spectators in the arena, the atmosphere was intense. In the center on the ring, two fighters were going at each other, their gloves embedded with glass shards, ensuring every punch was real and stimulated the audience's nerves.
"Hit! Hit him! Kill him!"
"Counterattack, come on, damn, are you a waste? I've bet ten thousand!"
"Beat him to death! Beat him!"
The shouts echoed one after another, and on the ring, it was brutal and bloody, leaving Zhao Mengke and the others dumbfounded.
"Why don't we also place a bet to join the fun?"
At this moment, Ning Yuan's eyes flashed as he pointed at the ring, saying, "Of the two people on the ring, one belongs to the arena, and the other is an outsider brought by the boss. Generally speaking, the odds are one to two and one to five, with the outsider having higher odds."
"Wow, you know a lot."
A girl looked at Ning Yuan with admiration.
"What's this? It's just common sense." Ning Yuan smiled faintly and then pointed like a strategist, saying, "I think in this match, the arena guy is sure to win. His punching speed and strength have an overwhelming advantage. If you trust me, bet on the arena guy."
Qin Hao looked at the ring; it was a lopsided match.
"Go ahead."
Seeing Zhao Mengke looking at him, Qin Hao nodded.
Immediately, many people placed their bets.
Three minutes later, the match ended, and as expected, the arena guy won, allowing Zhao Mengke and the others to earn a small profit.
"Yeah."
Zhao Mengke joyfully danced around, giggling sweetly and cutely.
And the black boxing continued fiercely, but Qin Hao found it dull because for the next few matches, as soon as the fighters stepped onto the ring, he already knew the result.
Ning Yuan, on the other hand, was enthused, watching each match for two minutes, then pointed like a strategist, urging Zhao Mengke and the others to place their bets as soon as someone gained the upper hand.
After three consecutive matches like this, Zhao Mengke and the others made a profit.
"Wow, Ning Yuan, you're amazing. You get it right every time."
A girl said admiringly.
"It's nothing, a piece of cake. Watch boxing long enough, and naturally, you'll gain some experience."
Ning Yuan smiled faintly, but there was a hint of pride in his eyes. He then glanced at Qin Hao, saying, "Friend, you seem clueless about boxing. Would you like me to teach you some basics? Otherwise, you look like you're about to fall asleep."
"Oh, no need." Qin Hao smiled wryly, surprised to hear someone offer to teach him the basics.
"Not understanding is nothing to be ashamed of; there aren't many as adept as me around. Feel free to ask me humbly; I'll teach you."
Ning Yuan chuckled and glanced at Zhao Mengke while speaking, hoping to see admiration in Zhao Mengke's eyes. However, to his disappointment, Zhao Mengke didn't even notice him.
"Hmm."
Qin Hao didn't want to get entangled with Ning Yuan any further, so he just nodded slightly.
Ning Yuan sneered and cast a disdainful glance at Qin Hao before turning his attention back to the ring.
At this moment, two more contestants stepped onto the ring. One was a tall white man. The other was about one meter sixty tall, strangely wearing a mask to conceal his appearance, and his body seemed quite agile.
"This white contestant is under Mr. Qin Yuan. His opponent was brought by a bar owner in the city."
The voice came over the arena's sound system.
This match did not involve the arena's organizers; it was a private bet between the two parties.
If Qin Yuan lost, he would owe the bar owner a young man, to be handled as the owner saw fit.
If the owner lost, he would owe a beautiful woman to Qin Yuan for him to handle as he wished.
This involved trades within the Dark World.
The so-called Dark World is the realm of things that cannot be openly displayed, such as underground fighting and black markets.
"My brother..."
Lin Yuhan saw a few men and women being tied up near the ring. They were spoils of war. Most of them were in deep debt due to gambling or drugs and couldn't repay their enormous debts, thus they were forced to sell themselves to pay it off.
Though this was an underground fight, no one forced them to become spoils of war. Yet as pitiful as they were, they were blameworthy, having to sell their last remnants of dignity to pay off their debts.
Among them, a man's face was pale with terror in his eyes, and he was Lin Yuhan's brother.
Lin Yuhan bit her lip. Despite her disappointment, she was deeply anxious because blood is thicker than water.
Qin Hao patted Lin Yuhan on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry, I'm here."
Lin Yuhan was momentarily stunned, but her heart warmed at Qin Hao's simple words. They gave her a stronger sense of security than anything else, as if her frantic heart had found a safe harbor.
At this moment, the battle on the ring began, and Qin Yuan's fighter quickly gained the upper hand.
After a few minutes, Ning Yuan said, "Qin Yuan's fighter completely controlled the situation and suppressed his opponent. It's tough for his opponent to turn the tables now; you can place your bets."
"Hehe, this time I'm going to make a fortune," Zhao Mengke giggled, seemingly set on investing all her money, seeing a pile of money beckoning to her, her eyes sparkling with dollar signs.
"Money-grubber."
Qin Hao muttered helplessly, then held Zhao Mengke's small hand and said, "Wait."
"What's wrong?" Zhao Mengke batted her big eyes, blinking at Qin Hao.
Qin Hao pointed to the ring and said,
"On the surface, Qin Yuan's fighter is suppressing his opponent. But look at his lower body movements, he's losing his footing, attempting a strong attack but unable to finish his opponent, rapidly draining energy, his breathing is becoming erratic."
"Look at his opponent, while being suppressed, his eyes remain clear, his expression calm, his lower body stable. He obviously has the confidence — a reversal could happen in an instant; he could win."
Initially, Qin Hao didn't want to intervene, but seeing Zhao Mengke's mischief of wanting to bet everything, he had no choice but to help her.
"Oh?"
Upon hearing Qin Hao's words, those who were ready to bet hesitated.
Ning Yuan suddenly frowned and glared coldly at Qin Hao, saying, "Are you doubting me?"
"I'm just discussing the matter at hand," Qin Hao said calmly.
"Do you even qualify to discuss this with me? As an outsider, what gives you the right to comment?"
Ning Yuan snorted, "If you don't understand the match, don't speak randomly, or you'll make a fool of yourself. The two on the ring have already shown clear superiority; Qin Yuan's fighter holds an eighty percent advantage. Just endure a bit more and he'll subdue his opponent. I really don't see how that masked contestant can win..."
Whoa!!
At this moment, a thunderous cheer erupted from the entire audience!
Qin Hao looked toward the ring, only to see that after a prolonged attack failing to break through, Qin Yuan's fighter was severely exhausted, finally giving his opponent an opportunity. The opponent suddenly exerted force, grappling and throwing him over the shoulder, directly slamming him to the ground for an instant KO!
"This..."
The entire crowd was in an uproar as the outcome suddenly reversed!
Ning Yuan was also stunned, nearly dropping his jaw in shock.
At this time, Qin Hao shrugged and said, "Now you know how he won, right?"