Chapter 71: Arena

Chapter 71 The Arena

Song Yuqing: "..."

Song Yuqing lowered his gaze to Qi Zhengqing. "Mr. Qi, you're truly useless."

"You can sit at the kids' table," Song Yuqing said, releasing Qi Zhengqing.

Qi Zhengqing: "Perfect. We can be two amateurs bickering like rookies."

Song Yuqing: "..."

88: "I heard men start to lose their edge after thirty."

"Qingqing, you should divorce him. The old guy has no potential, but the young one does. The old man can't satisfy you anymore."

Song Yuqing fell silent for a few seconds. He remembered Qi Zhengqing was twenty-eight, almost twenty-nine. Qi Zhengqing’s birthday was in winter.

For an alpha, especially one like Qi Zhengqing with S+-level psychic energy, he didn't have many years left to live. Reaching thirty-five would be considered lucky for him.

Seven years.

The timeline was tight.

Song Yuqing: "Will you die?"

In the darkness, Qi Zhengqing looked seriously at Song Yuqing and replied after a long pause, "Everyone dies."

Song Yuqing lowered his eyes. "You're right."

Qi Zhengqing knew Song Yuqing was asking whether he would die in the near future.

Song Yuqing also understood the meaning behind Qi Zhengqing’s response—he wanted him to accept it calmly, to face his death with equanimity.

But neither of them explicitly addressed the other’s underlying meaning, instead engaging in idle, meaningless chatter.

Song Yuqing’s phone buzzed, and he pressed the button on the side.

"I’m heading out while you're sleeping," Song Yuqing informed him.

Qi Zhengqing: "Mmm, come back early. Be safe."

Song Yuqing was dressed entirely in black, which emphasized his slender, statuesque build. The lower half of his face was covered by a black mask, leaving only a section of his neck visible, revealing his fair skin and jet-black hair.

Xiao Jinshi was leaning against the doorway of Song Yuqing and Qi Zhengqing’s room, waiting. Only when Song Yuqing emerged did Xiao Jinshi’s gaze focus on him, the complex emotions in his eyes carefully masked the moment he saw Song Yuqing.

Xiao Jinshi handed Song Yuqing an invitation. "Brother."

Song Yuqing took it. "Mmm."

Xiao Jinshi: "Hakimi is working on the robot modifications and doesn’t have time to keep surveillance. We can head right there."

Song Yuqing: "..."

Song Yuqing looked at Xiao Jinshi, who wore an innocent expression. "What’s wrong? Isn’t that right, brother?"

Song Yuqing lowered his eyes and calmly remarked, "That’s a bit insulting to Hakimi."

Meanwhile, Hubbard, who'd lost his original robot, was still modifying it. The alphas of the Sri Lanka Zone’s Eighth Squad weren't bothering to mock him; they were all assisting him.

Hubbard: "I need to go to the bathroom."

"You’re not going. Keep working," an alpha interrupted him.

A dark look passed in Hubbard’s eyes. He wanted to tell these people that even with modifications, their chances of defeating Song Yuqing were slim. It would be better to stay under the radar and do something meaningful.

But he had no voice in the matter.

If it weren’t for Song Yuqing, he would have been confident. But Song Yuqing was improving too quickly.

No, perhaps it was more accurate to say Song Yuqing was too clever. In such a short time, he had made such a breakthrough.

In the Sri Lanka Zone at night, snow fell thick as goose down.

Looking down the street from the alley mouth into the distance, everything was a blanket of white, with only a few scattered pedestrians.

At the alley’s entrance, a drunkard clutching a bottle stood with a red, frostbitten nose.

Passersby paid no attention to the heavily intoxicated man.

Song Yuqing and Xiao Jinshi didn’t stop either.

Xiao Jinshi was still deep in thought, pondering many things—like the recently concluded match. Did Song Yuqing always plan to use Qi Ran and No. 6 together from the start?

Had Song Yuqing intended to send Hakimi away all along? Could a whole team of teammates really not keep an eye on one Hubbard?

Xiao Jinshi was also wondering whether Song Yuqing had come here because he wanted something.

After stepping through a wooden doorway, the scene inside was entirely different from outside. The few people who had just entered stood spaced apart. Some had gazes sharp as hawks, while others looked guileless and sincere. Yet, whether their honesty was genuine or a disguise was hard to tell.

Xiao Jinshi also wore a mask, his eyes appearing exceptionally innocent and naive, like a puppy experiencing the world for the first time.

Xiao Jinshi: "Brother, what kind of place is this?"

Song Yuqing: "..."

Loading cargo.

Song Yuqing handed the two invitations to the receptionist before glancing at Xiao Jinshi. "Don’t wander off. Stay close."

The receptionist looked at Xiao Jinshi, then at Song Yuqing. They had seen all kinds of combinations.

A beta and an alpha together didn’t surprise them much.

As long as one had power and wealth, a beta could maintain a pack of alphas, treating them as playthings.

And when alphas lowered themselves to please others, they could be even more servile than betas or Omegas.

There was no such thing as not being servile enough—only that the pull of money and status wasn’t strong enough.

After checking the invitations, the receptionist saw that Xiao Jinshi and Song Yuqing were not sellers and asked, "How many gold coins would you like to exchange?"

Song Yuqing reached out to Xiao Jinshi, who placed a black card in his palm. "Twenty million."

The receptionist barely glanced up, clearly accustomed to handling the wealthy and powerful. Twenty million didn't even make him blink.

The receptionist recited robotically, "A five percent transaction fee will be deducted upon successful transaction."

"Go choose your masks and then come back to register."

The attendant glanced at Song Yuqing. Even though he was covered up, one could still sense the beta's exceptional quality. "By the way, if you want to trade for an alpha, you can go pick one out. Just a couple million and you can take one home..."

Xiao Jinshi’s face turned completely dark. Song Yuqing already had plenty of dogs around him.

And now he was going to use his money to buy a few alphas to compete against him?

What kind of fool did they take him for?

Xiao Jinshi reached out to link hands with Song Yuqing. Song Yuqing found it somewhat amusing and replied softly, "Mm, I see."

Xiao Jinshi: "..."

Got it?

"Then what am I?" Xiao Jinshi blurted out.

Song Yuqing’s gaze fell on Xiao Jinshi’s face, a nonchalant smile in his eyes. "You’re the little dog."

The young man’s voice was soft, yet it was enthralling. Xiao Jinshi was reminded of the time when Song Yuqing had told him to crawl over and called him his little dog.

The tips of his ears flushed deep red. "Then why are you getting other dogs? You can’t do that."

The attendant added fuel to the fire, heavily implying, "This dog of yours is no good—too domineering. The dogs we have here are properly trained. They’ve been trained for a long time and know plenty of tricks."

Xiao Jinshi: "..."

"No need," Song Yuqing politely refused this time. "I prefer training my own. He’s not too unruly."

Xiao Jinshi’s ears turned even redder. Song Yuqing liked training him.

The attendant didn’t push further. Those who came here to play were all rich and powerful; it was common for them to purchase alphas, Omegas, or even betas when they left.

The beta young man before him seemed rather decent to his "little dog." Those who weren’t as kind might not bring their companions out in one piece.

Attendant: "Go choose your masks."

They were engaged in illicit activities. After identity verification, everyone who entered would wear a mask, a form of protection for them.

Xiao Jinshi picked a mask with dog-like fangs. Before Song Yuqing could choose one, Xiao Jinshi handed him a cat mask. "This one suits you, brother."

Song Yuqing didn’t refuse. He took it and put it on.

With masks on, they descended the steps, going about two meters underground, where a wide street appeared before them.

Brightly lit and bustling.

It was the first day of the trading activities.

"Let’s go watch the fights first, place bets..."

"What’s so interesting about that?"

"It’s bloody..."

Xiao Jinshi noticed Song Yuqing listening to those people and moved closer to explain, "This event happens every year. Beasts attack humans; humans combat them. It’s rather bloody, but the rewards are substantial. You can bet on humans or beasts."

"The first level is human versus beast combat."

"The second level is human versus human combat. They usually don't get killed, but it’s easy to get crippled."

"The first level is more entertaining—"

Though bloody, it was precisely this kind of brutality that stimulated people’s nerves. Coupled with the betting, it made everything even more thrilling.

Those placing bets were gambling, and those fighting were gambling too. A single win could bring substantial rewards.

Song Yuqing: "Let’s go to the second level."

Here, the second level meant the second underground floor. The elevator descended, and Song Yuqing leaned against the fully transparent wall, his hand resting on the railing behind him.

The pale nape of his neck was slightly exposed, his shoulder blades like butterfly wings, his waist slender—inviting endless imagination.

Under the shimmering lights, the tall alpha stood beside him, his hand hovering near Song Yuqing’s right side.

His fingers lightly gripped the railing, his demeanor lazy and relaxed.

The alpha seemed to almost embrace that slender waist.

As the elevator descended, an alpha fighting a tiger in the arena seemed to sense something and glanced over, catching only a faint silhouette.

It was enough to startle the alpha.

He nearly took a tiger’s claw to the face.

Song Yuqing turned his head to look but missed the alpha’s gaze as they arrived at the second underground level.

Song Yuqing had come primarily for the alpha re-differentiation serum. Watching the fights was just...

Just to gather some information first.

Being in such a place, Song Yuqing gained a clearer understanding of the power held by the rich and powerful in this world. For the amusement of these people, they had hidden such a place in the capital of Sri Lanka.

And they had trained so many alphas, Omegas, and betas for entertainment.

In the face of absolute class power, even alphas could be reduced to playthings.

"Brother, let’s go."

88: "Qingqing, I see your son!"

Two voices spoke at once, reminding Song Yuqing of a deeply hurtful and humiliating plot.