"Lose? That's not certain, is it?"
Before Xu Mo could step out of the L2 carriage, the eerie, mocking voice of "Three Shots," the skull-masked man who had first approached him, drifted from behind. "Maybe you're confident in your own strength, but what about your two friends? Didn't they exchange all their Apocalyptic Shards for Huaxia currency? Accidents happen all the time these days—be careful, or you might end up making money without a life to spend it..."
Du Zhizhang and Chang Ziteng?!
Could it be that the people from "Blood Skull" had let them go earlier because they had already confirmed their true identities?
Although Du Zhizhang and Chang Ziteng had left the circle of ability users, they were the ones who had introduced Xu Mo to the Alliance. More importantly, they were comrades who had fought side by side in the Apocalyptic Environment, forging a deep friendship. Since this trouble had arisen because of him, Xu Mo could not, in good conscience, stand by and let a group of scum among ability users destroy their peaceful lives.
Xu Mo slowly turned around, his face cold as frost. He spoke almost word by word: "I'll bet against you! …But regardless of the outcome, if anything happens to my two friends—whether or not it's your 'Blood Skull' who did it—I will make sure every last one of you disappears from this world forever!"
"Three Shots" curled his lip in disdain, making a mocking hand gesture. "Just a rookie like you, without even a nickname? Come back and talk when you can get yourself on the 'Apocalypse Sovereign Rankings' like our boss!"
"Cut the crap! What do you want to bet on?" Xu Mo demanded bluntly.
"Ripping King Kong" stepped forward, looking down at Xu Mo with a smug expression as he wagged his finger. "Simple. We bet on that Apocalyptic Shard of yours—the one that manufactures magazines! If we win, the shard belongs to 'Blood Skull'..."
What a greedy bunch!
Xu Mo had initially thought they were after the rights to sell magazines, just like before. But now, they were aiming directly for the "Ice Shaver" that produced them. They weren't just after the eggs; they wanted to steal the hen that laid them too!
"Fine, I'll bet with you! But what are you offering as your wager?" Xu Mo went all in.
"Ripping King Kong" pulled out two shards—one yellow and one orange—and tossed them in his palm a few times before spreading them out before Xu Mo. "I just spent fifty thousand Fruit Currency on these. Should be enough to match the value of your shard, right?"
"These are… Level-Two Primal Shards?"
Xu Mo instantly recognized the slightly larger yellow shard and inhaled sharply.
Given how rare Level-Two Shards were, there were probably fewer than a hundred of them in the entire Alliance. While they still couldn't compare to Xu Mo's one-of-a-kind manufacturing shard, these were likely the most valuable items "Ripping King Kong" had on him.
Now, Xu Mo finally understood why "Blood Skull" was so determined to get his "Ice Shaver" shard.
Fruit Currency was not as easy to come by as Huaxia Currency. Even for large organizations, fifty thousand Fruit Currency was no small amount—let alone for a five-man team with only two core members. Their desperation to open up a new source of income was now obvious.
Though these two Level-Two Shards still didn't match the value of the "Ice Shaver," Xu Mo knew they wouldn't be able to offer anything more valuable. Nor would they give up on taking his shard. So he decided to play along and accepted the bet outright.
After all, it was a gamble—who said he wouldn't be the one laughing in the end?
"What's the competition? Let me be clear: if you suggest an arm-wrestling match or a test of brute strength, I'll just blow all of us up right here and now." Xu Mo pointed at the laser emitters still visible on the ceiling, making his stance clear. He had nothing to lose, and he wasn't about to let them set the terms to their advantage.
"Ripping King Kong" casually raised a finger and said arrogantly, "Beast Arena. One match, winner takes all!"
"Beast Arena?"
Xu Mo's expression flickered with surprise. He had expected them to propose a real fight in the Combat Arena. But then he recalled a specific regulation he had read in the Zero Carriage's Alliance rulebook:
"Alliance members who have been in the organization for less than a month are protected under a special security protocol. Any senior members or external forces are strictly prohibited from harming them within the Alliance. Violating this rule will be considered a challenge to the Alliance itself and will be severely punished."
So that was it! It wasn't that "Ripping King Kong" had a conscience and didn't want to bully a rookie—it was that Xu Mo was still under the Alliance's newcomer protection. They couldn't attack him directly, so they had no choice but to settle it through beast battles instead.
Xu Mo smirked coldly to himself. If it had been a real fight, he might have had some concerns. But now that the outcome would be decided through Apocalyptic Shard creatures… well, he had no problem turning the tables on them!
"Fine! Beast Arena—one match, winner takes all!"
Without hesitation, Xu Mo threw down his answer and turned straight toward the R12 Beast Arena.
His decisive attitude made "Three Shots" hesitate, a hint of unease creeping into his heart. He leaned toward "Ripping King Kong" and muttered, "Boss, this kid seems a little off… Should we reconsider? He's alone, after all. We could just wait until he's outside and force him to hand over the shard—why take this risk with our most valuable shards?"
"You know nothing!"
"Ripping King Kong" snorted. "Can't you see how stubborn this kid is? He might not be as strong as us, but he has something we desperately need. If we push him too hard and he chooses to self-destruct, resetting all his shards, who the hell would we sell those useless regenerated shards to?"
He was frustrated by this predicament, and he slammed a fist into the carriage wall to vent his anger. After taking a deep breath, he continued, "But he has no background or connections—we don't have to worry too much about him… Besides, my shard creature is ranked third in the Beast Arena. No matter how lucky he is, there's no way he could have a stronger shard creature than mine, right?"
"…Yeah, that makes sense. Boss, you're brilliant!"
"Three Shots" quickly flattered him. He knew that while "Ripping King Kong" was arrogant and stubborn, he was also undeniably capable. Otherwise, "Three Shots" would never have stuck with him for so long.
The R12 district's platform was essentially just the ticketing hall for the Beast Arena. The real arena consisted of ten separate battle rings, located within the ten entrances spread across the platform.
Unlike traditional beast fights, the battles in the World Fruit Trade Alliance's Beast Arena were fought entirely by Apocalyptic Shard creatures, each possessing unique and mystical abilities. The fights were not only just as brutal and bloody as real beast battles, but they were also far more strategic and spectacular—guided by the will of their masters. Since its establishment, the Beast Arena had completely replaced the Combat Arena as the most popular attraction in the Alliance.
Of course, most of the people who came here weren't just in it for the thrill of battle. The real draw was the gambling. A single bet could turn an ordinary person into a millionaire overnight. What could be more exhilarating than that?
Beast fights came in many different formats, with various common match types. Personal betting matches like the one between Xu Mo and "Ripping King Kong" were also accepted at the arena. However, such private duels required a fee to reserve the venue, and no external betting was allowed to prevent fraud.
Since these matches were scheduled between official events, Xu Mo and "Ripping King Kong" were each assigned to a separate waiting room until their match was announced.