Chapter 191 - 118: The Signal of War (Part 2)

John broke the others’ nose bones and smashed the Shark Coin pointing a gun at him onto Pink Beard in an over-the-shoulder throw.The gray afterimage was almost invisible in the bar.

John seemed to teleport in place, and the strong men surrounding him collapsed in a disordered heap.

He stepped forward, kicked the revolver aside, and aimed two kicks at the head.

Pink Beard lost consciousness.

A few male waiters emerged from the bar, dragging the "drunk" clients into the public corridor.

Mr. Vito had specifically set up a "sobering zone."

Inside, there were two iron benches easy to clean, a water pipe connected to the wall, a convenient vomit groove, and vending machines supplying basic medicines and necessities.

"Why are so many unruly people flooding into the mall?"

John finally realized the price of prosperity.

Angelica shook her head with a bitter smile, stating that the gang members patrolling the streets had been reduced by thirty percent, and would be reduced by fifty percent next month, focusing more strength on high-yield work.

"The night before last, the gang had a shootout with the Eastern People on Beg Avenue, at least thirty people died, the scene was full of shell casings and bloodstains, and it’s said that there will be various revenge actions next."

Angelica’s gaze was unfocused.

She let her hand wander on the glass.

Mr. Vito began taking over some dangerous businesses, including tobacco and alcohol smuggling and the transport of contraband, and his mall would gradually be handed over to Bone Shards to manage.

"The so-called tyrant, doesn’t he understand business?"

"No, he understands very well, efficiency and results are remarkable."

Angelica shook her head and said.

Bone Shards attracted a large flow of people through various means, making the West District unprecedentedly bustling and relaxed regulation, no longer protecting service industries and shop owners.

"Rent increased, taxes and hidden exploitation increased, earning twenty percent more will make you several times more tired than before."

She sighed.

"This is just the beginning, compared to operating, everyone is actually more worried about going to war with the Owl Town gang."

The population of Eden City has increased significantly in the past two years.

The areas controlled by gangs no longer satisfy the current scale, and among the gaps of large forces, there are some small groups that are not on the right path. As the friction between Owl Town and Black Gold Gang worsens, their living environment is also getting worse.

"The city is going to get chaotic."

Angelica said, "If the streets become what I hate, I will consider selling the shop and then traveling around the world according to the previous plan."

"Wow, who would take that bargain then?"

John wanted to be slick, but saw fatigue and seriousness in Angelica’s eyes, so he didn’t continue the topic.

"If you leave, I will have one less friend in the city. Anyway, I hope you don’t go."

"Still considering."

"Well, let’s not talk about it anymore, why did you call me here today? It can’t be to pack your luggage for you... you mentioned fighting just now, who do you want me to fight? Give me the name."

"Do you dare to provoke Bone Shards?"

"Ah, there’s nothing I don’t dare to do. Last time we met, he even tried to scare me with Sianweistan."

John shrugged.

He didn’t like being coerced and threatened, so his first impression of Bone Shards was very bad.

Angelica emphasized to John.

If Mr. Vito really retreats to manage illegal business, the position of street Speaker will rotate, then on the surface Black Gold Gang would have to follow Bone Shards’ command.

"Do you really dare to offend him?"

"You want me to go beat him up?"

"Ah, not really."

Angelica waved her hand.

One of the biggest sources of revenue for Black Gold Gang is various boxing matches, regardless of whether they are illegal or legal, the most profitable venues are basically under gang control.

Besides cultivating star fighters, they also need to breed some internal hot challenge targets.

Mr. Vito is a "traditionalist."

His marketing mindset always revolves around honor and hope, the story of the underclass overturning tables in adverse situations often happens, promoting that everyone can step on the ring to realize their dreams.

Bone Shards, however, believes that this marketing idea is already fatigued.

He got inspiration from the last Russian outburst and began searching for various notorious fighters, removing most of the rules and all kinds of security measures.

Using extreme violence and bloodshed as gimmicks.

Numerous fanatics emerged in boxing arenas large and small, all disregarding personal and opponents’ risks, passionately brawling, with the death rate in recent low-odds contests skyrocketing to extremes.

But the atmosphere has already been cultivated.

They began promoting bullies, using a violence-supreme cathartic mode to lure the curiosity of gamblers and spectators, and subsequently, "stars" originally only active in illegal matches also stepped onto the brilliantly lit Bolago Club.

"Those Shark Coins you saw are part of the negative impact, and what I want you to take out is a perverted scumbag who broke through the qualifiers last week."

[Bolago Club - Underground Fight Arena]

John read through the fighter information Angelica forwarded, swiped his biometric info, and walked into the dim passage.

There were indeed more unfamiliar faces in the corridor.

They looked fierce and malicious, with plenty of outstanding warrants, and some were even famous "cleaners" from other gangs, with crime files pulled up by the scanner that were outrageously long.

John passed through the waiting area and reached the foot of the audience seating.

Two security personnel holding fully equipped Rongju Rifles merely glanced calmly at John, spat into the area prohibiting crossing, then turned to watch over gamblers trying to climb the electric fence.

Boxing contestants need to have weapons confiscated, and also to lock the spring knives and Sianweistan on their arms with a special program.

From waitstaff to security, all had been replaced here.

"Bone Shards is influencing the street, now obtaining a fighter qualification is far harder than when you were assessed back then... almost one unlucky guy who tries dies one."

Macao tried to persuade John to give up.

If Mr. Vito left the Speaker’s position, there would be no one to pay his salary for training fighters, and no obligation to arrange and liaise boxing-related affairs for John.

But John undertook Angelica’s commission.

Macao still took him to the scene.

The target was called Obestan.

He stood inside the iron cage, a Satan’s Belt made of gold around his waist, something that only the weekly champion can possess.

According to the new competition system introduced by Bone Shards.

Obestan must accept challenges from all comers here before entering a bigger stage, even having to accumulate a certain number of points, which is essentially to entice gamblers to keep placing bets.

Whether he is defeated or not, he can gain extremely high attention.

The electric fence crackled.

John noticed that this thing’s voltage was much higher than last time, with various sticky substances on it, seemingly leftovers from some unlucky fighter’s body.

The ground was splattered with blood.

Among the spectators, besides gamblers, more were perverts enjoying violence.

Next to the contestant passage by the iron cage was a smaller iron bar.

Inside was a naked girl, her hair disheveled, body curled up enduring the stares of the audience.

"That’s Obestan’s prey."

Macao folded his arms and frowned.

The reason Angelica commissioned John was simple, the girl locked in the cage in front of him was actually one of her employees.

She had a boy she liked, a young fighter.

Obestan took pleasure in snatching and humiliating other people’s partners, and after getting such information, he brutally smashed the young man’s jaw and abducted the girl.

At almost every exhibition match, he would show off different "prey" to provoke the emotions of the audience and challengers, which seemed to also stimulate this pervert’s excitement.

Roars and curses intolerable to endure erupted around the arena.

The electric fence crackled.

Smoke and stench spread.

A corpse wrapped in a white cloth was dragged into the corridor.

John frowned, reached out to pull down the cloth, drawing curses from bystanders.

"Hey, show some respect to the dead."

John didn’t even look at the miserable corpse, just headed towards the boxing ring, muttering something under his breath.

Macao heard it.

The dead don’t care, the living do.

John tossed the white cloth and his coat onto the small cage.

The girl inside flinched.

She panted slightly, looked up, and saw—someone kicking open the barrier and stepping into the electrified octagonal cage.