TAP, TAP...
Wooden sandals clacked crisply against the floor.
Jiang Zheyu walked with excruciating slowness down the entrance tunnel. A closer look would have revealed the slight, unsteady tremble in her legs and her fingers anxiously clutching her white dress.
"System, you're not going to let me die, are you?" Jiang Zheyu had never stepped into a fighting ring before, not in this life or her last.
Although she had S-Class spiritual power, she had never used it to attack anyone before. She was starting to get nervous.
"Host, the System Mall has many items for purchase. For example, the one-hour Expert Aura, the Speed Halo, or X-Ray Vision. These can help you win the fight," the System's voice said, trying to comfort her. "And this System is very generous. You can buy on credit."
Hearing this, Jiang Zheyu immediately checked the System Mall, only to see that a one-hour Expert Aura cost a whopping 1000 points.
Upgrading to S+++ only cost 3000 points, yet this one aura was 1000. She could work herself to death like a Black Slave and still not have enough.
"System, why don't you just go rob someone?" Jiang Zheyu's tea-colored eyes widened.
Despite her words, the existence of the System Mall did give her a sliver of confidence.
The point of light in the distance grew brighter, and the sounds of raucous celebration and chaotic shouts grew louder as she slowly walked forward.
Her vision was suddenly flooded with light.
In an instant, she felt thousands of pairs of eyes fall upon her.
As a bit of an introvert, Jiang Zheyu was already starting to feel extremely uncomfortable and had the urge to flee the scene.
'No one told me the ring would be this huge, or that there would be so many people!'
She stood there with a wooden expression, listening to the announcer beside her.
"This is her! The female who initiated today's first arena challenge for a Male Beastman!" the Sheep Beastman beside her boomed theatrically. "Will anyone step up to challenge this female within the next ten minutes? If not, then she will take this Wolf Beastman with her!"
The Wolf Boy was wheeled out in a cage. He sat inside, uncharacteristically silent and still.
The moment the Beastmen in the audience heard the word "female," they went wild.
Some had never seen a female before; others were just curious why a female would enter the ring for a lowly Male Beastman.
Besides, it was common knowledge that females were incredibly weak. Wasn't stepping into the ring just asking to die?
That beautiful female, standing there so slender and delicate in her little white dress, her skin glowing—was she really here to fight, and not just to be pinned down?
The gazes of numerous Male Beastmen were glued to her exposed skin. Their scorching eyes roamed over her body, inch by inch, some of their own eyes turning red with suppressed lust.
"Can Male Beastmen go up and 'spar' too?" a Male Beastman asked, his hungry eyes fixed on Jiang Zheyu.
His blatant stare made it clear that sparring was not what he had in mind.
"Of course!" the announcer replied loudly. "All who wish to compete, enter your information into the digital lottery! Our system will draw one contestant to face our female. The winner gets to take the male!"
Night K was always like this: no rules, only the pursuit of death and thrills.
Jiang Zheyu felt her ears ringing. The announcer's voice was so loud it made them ache with a persistent hum.
On the massive screen high above, several lines of text were displayed in a huge font.
1V1
Zheyu VS ( )
The number to the right of the "V" was skyrocketing.
1V30
1V350
...
Meanwhile, in a corner of the stands, two masked figures were watching—one tall, the other small and slender.
"Look, Aluo. That Mo Chuan kid sure is lucky with the ladies," the taller youth said, lounging lazily against the smaller one with an arm draped around their neck. "Looks like you won't have to reveal you're a female to start a challenge after all."
Yan Luo frowned. She and Rose had come to rescue Mo Chuan, the Wolf Boy on the stage. The original plan was for her to issue the challenge, drink a Genetic Medicine to alter her body, and win the match to save him.
They had even paid a high price for two VIP passes, never expecting someone to beat them to the punch and issue a challenge first.
"We're entering the lottery," Yan Luo said decisively.
Rose clicked his tongue but complied, entering them into the digital lottery.
Standing in the ring, Jiang Zheyu was shocked that so many people wanted to fight her.
After all, she had a feeling they weren't actually interested in freeing the Wolf Boy.
Jiang Zheyu edged away from the announcer and tilted her head back to look at the screen, praying she'd be matched with a Beastman whose spiritual power was lower than hers.
She had no idea that the simple act of tilting her head back sent many of the lunatics in the audience into a blood-boiling frenzy. The shouts from the Beastmen grew even more crazed.
In a room on the highest floor, a man with long, silver hair had been watching the girl ever since she appeared. Now, his gaze was fixed on her slender, fair, fragile neck, and his dark green eyes deepened.
'What a beautiful female.'
'I wonder if the face beneath the mask will be just as captivating.'
"Find out about this female," the man's voice was low and husky, tinged with excitement.
Down in the audience, Rose also found his gaze lingering on the female's slender, white neck, and his own eyes darkened for a moment.
The sight of the girl tilting her head back, as if offering her most vulnerable spot to be savaged by a great beast, stirred the vilest, most primal desire to bite deep within the hearts of the Beastmen.
"Rose, what's wrong?" Yan Luo noticed he had suddenly fallen silent and looked up at him in confusion.
Rose snapped back to his senses, looking at Yan Luo beside him. She was a female disguised as a male, her face deliberately made up to look sharp, but a hint of softness was still visible beneath. Her brown eyes were resilient and captivating.
'That's right,' he thought. 'A tenacious, self-reliant female like Yan Luo is the type I'm supposed to like.'
He felt a flash of annoyance. He couldn't believe he'd just been mesmerized by another female.
"It's nothing," Rose said, his voice returning to its usual lazy drawl.
On the electronic screen, the numbers began to scroll more and more slowly.
Jiang Zheyu's heart clenched.
Finally, the screen came to a halt.
Zheyu VS Aluo.
When Jiang Zheyu saw her opponent's name, she thought it sounded a little familiar but didn't dwell on it.
Her opponent quickly entered the ring.
Yan Luo was also stunned. To think that out of thousands of people, she would be the one chosen.
Still, it suited her just fine. 'I won't even need the Genetic Medicine to defeat a pampered female like this,' she thought. Her hard life growing up in the slums disguised as a male was something these sheltered females could never compare to.
Jiang Zheyu saw that this Beastman was small and slender, roughly the same height as she was.
Some of her tension eased.
'Thank the heavens! This has to be the luckiest draw!'