Chapter 1 of 10

Chapter 1

19 min read4,715 words

Prologue

The moonlight was like water, gently pouring down its soft glow, mingling with the colorful neon lights that stretched to the horizon. From a lofty vantage point, the entire world seemed somewhat hazy and unreal. Standing on the top floor of a skyscraper with hundreds of stories, he looked down at the bizarre and dazzling city below, spreading his arms as if to embrace the entire world.

If someone were to see Gao Yuan’s position at this moment, they would undoubtedly be terrified, thinking he was either a madman or a despondent person about to jump to their death. Every year, a few people would leap from the tallest building in the city, turning into mangled heaps of flesh.

Gao Yuan stood on the narrow concrete railing at the top, the width of the ledge just enough for one foot. For an ordinary person, standing there would be impossible; even just peering over the railing would cause dizziness and vertigo.

Of course, Gao Yuan was not an ordinary person. He had just won a million-dollar underground fight, and his reward was a hundred thousand dollars. This sum was enough for him to live comfortably for a while.

He was a fighter. Not the kind who fought under the spotlight with referees and rules, but in the underground death matches. Once the fighters stepped onto the ring, the competition only ended when one of them could no longer stand. The loser often meant death or the inability to ever step into the ring again.

The brutality and violence of these death matches far exceeded the imagination of ordinary people. Surviving for years in the ring and earning a formidable reputation, Gao Yuan had endured hardships beyond what most could imagine. Whenever he saw boxing matches on TV, he couldn’t help but laugh. These so-called champions would never survive in the death matches.

Death matches had no rules.

The fight that ended ten days ago still left Gao Yuan with lingering fear. It was a battle for supremacy between the north and the south, not just for a large sum of money, but also for the status of the two leaders. The million dollars was just the surface; the bets placed outside the ring involved billions.

This was the first time Gao Yuan truly felt the threat of death. Even ten days later, the final scene still haunted his nightmares. His opponent fell before him, his carotid artery severed by Gao Yuan’s sharp knife, blood gushing out like a fountain, drenching Gao Yuan’s face and body. He, too, fell to the ground, powerless.

Three days later, a check for a hundred thousand dollars was delivered to Gao Yuan. On that day, he decided to leave the underground fighting world. The money he had earned over the years was enough for him to start a legitimate business. Approaching thirty, he had reached his physical peak, and every day after that would be a decline. If he stayed in the ring, he would eventually end up like his opponent, bloodied on the fighting floor.

Today would be his last day in this city.

"Farewell! I will never return." Gao Yuan slowly retracted his arms, took one last look at the glittering city, and jumped off the railing.

In the hotel room downstairs, his luggage was already packed. He would take the last flight of the day and leave the country. He knew that as long as he stayed on this land, his enemies would eventually find him. Over the years, he had made too many enemies in the ring. As long as he worked for the boss, he was protected. But now that he had decided to leave, he had lost his greatest support. His enemies would come after him without hesitation.

He needed to leave as quickly as possible. If not for the injuries he sustained in that fight, he would have left immediately after receiving the money.

With a bang, the iron door at the top of the building was pushed open, and it clanged against the concrete wall. Gao Yuan’s heart skipped a beat, and he quickly drew a thin, blade-like dagger from his sleeve.

A group of people filed out and stopped a few steps away from Gao Yuan. The leader looked at him and let out a cold laugh. Gao Yuan’s heart sank; the man in front of him was the northern leader.

"Gao Yuan, we meet again!"

Gao Yuan froze. Several silenced guns were pointed at him, and at this distance, he had no chance to dodge.

"Mr. Chu, a bet is a bet. You coming after me is a loss of face!" Gao Yuan took a deep breath.

"What can I do?" Mr. Chu shrugged. "I don’t want to cause you trouble, but this time, you made someone else lose a lot. He wants your life, and I can’t afford to anger him. I had to pay another million dollars to buy your life. You know who sold you out, right?"

Gao Yuan’s heart sank, and he swallowed hard. The only person who could have betrayed him was his boss; no one else knew where he lived.

"What good is your skill? Can it stop bullets?" Mr. Chu laughed.

"Mr. Chu, from today on, I’ll work for you!" Gao Yuan shouted. "I can win back all the money you lost."

Mr. Chu was taken aback and thought for a moment. "It’s a good offer, but the decision isn’t mine this time. And Gao Yuan, the money lost in the side bets is more than you could ever win back in a lifetime of fighting. Such a huge bet doesn’t come around every year."

Gao Yuan understood; today was a death sentence. Looking at the black gun barrels, he felt a surge of anger. If he was going to die, he would take someone with him.

He fell to his knees, sobbing. "Mr. Chu, spare my life! I’ll work for you like a slave to repay your kindness!"

Seeing Gao Yuan’s pitiful state, Mr. Chu was first stunned, then burst into laughter. "The top underground fighter is just a coward. Brothers, enjoy the show..." Before he finished, Gao Yuan, who was kneeling and bowing, suddenly fell forward, pushed himself up, and lunged forward. He grabbed a gunman’s ankle and pulled, knocking him to the ground. With a swift movement, his thin dagger slashed across the man’s neck, spraying blood all over Gao Yuan’s face. Rolling to his feet, Gao Yuan swung the dagger, aiming for the stunned Mr. Chu. The dagger struck Mr. Chu’s body, piercing through his clothes but falling to the ground; he was wearing a bulletproof vest.

"Kill him!" Mr. Chu roared in anger.

The muffled sound of silenced guns rang out as Gao Yuan dashed toward the iron door. In that moment, his speed surpassed his limits. He knew that if he didn’t escape the line of sight immediately, he was dead.

The door was right in front of him. If he could escape through it, he would be free.

Just then, another muffled gunshot rang out, not from behind him but from inside the door. The continuous sound of gunfire echoed, and Gao Yuan’s body was hit as if by a large hammer, flying backward into the air. In his last moments, he saw his boss walking out of the door, with two gunmen on either side, their guns still smoking.

Gao Yuan felt himself flying, higher and higher, higher and higher.

Death wasn’t as painful as he thought. He didn’t feel any pain, just a sense of floating in a cloud, drifting away.

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