Chapter 6

The moonlight quietly climbed up the old window frame, casting a hazy, bright light inside the wooden house, making the ground seem cold and clear. It was as if a lover's hand, gently caressing the young, delicate, and handsome face of the boy.

Sun Yan groaned, gradually waking up, sitting up, and rubbing his drowsy head. He felt as if he had drunk a hundred catties of strong liquor, with a churning sensation in his stomach that made him want to vomit his heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys.

"Just one bottle, it shouldn't be like this! Could it be because I practiced too hard?" Sun Yan muttered to himself, "And the dream I had wasn't even a pleasant one, which is rare."

Looking at the empty bottle on the ground, Sun Yan vaguely remembered the dream he had after getting drunk. He seemed to have picked up a strange square seal, and then the dragon pattern on the seal suddenly came to life, drilling directly into his body.

"Damn, what a strange dream."

Sun Yan patted his aching head, gradually regaining his senses. He glanced at the time, "Damn, it's already 8 o'clock, I need to get back!"

After putting the things in the ancestral house in order, Sun Yan packed up and quickly headed toward the city. By the time he returned to Luoshan City, it was already 9 o'clock. The city was bustling with activity, with people and vehicles coming and going, in stark contrast to the quiet and desolate outskirts.

Walking down the busy street, Sun Yan found himself in front of a brightly lit high-rise building. The wild and intense music could be faintly heard from inside, and the screen in front of the building flashed with five words: "Starlight Fighting City."

The Fighting City was a place that young people loved to visit, much like the game arcades on Earth thousands of years ago, which were popular among young people.

The "fighting" here did not refer to real fighting, but to creating virtual characters on "virtual fighting machines" and engaging in highly realistic battles. These machines were originally standard training devices for the military, but after the technology was made public, they quickly became popular among the general public, leading to the emergence of numerous Fighting Cities.

This was the best place for young people to vent their excess energy and test their strength, and it was also an excellent place for many companies and families to discover talent.

Feeling in his pocket, Sun Yan had only 0.003 credit points, "0.003 credit points, enough for three rounds."

This "Starlight Fighting City" was well-known in the southern part of Luoshan City and had very low fees, with each battle costing only 0.001 credit points. If one could win consecutively, not only would there be no need to pay any fees, but one could also exchange points for prizes prepared by the Fighting City.

Sun Yan was a regular at this Starlight Fighting City, but his past performance was abysmal. After five years of frequenting the place, his points were still only 7, meaning he had won only 7 rounds in total.

"I'll just play one round, and the remaining 0.002 credit points will be my living expenses." After some hesitation, Sun Yan couldn't resist walking toward the entrance.

Pushing open the door, the deafening music flooded his ears, the heavy metal melody making his blood slightly warm. Occasionally, there were wild screams from women, and the colorful neon lights flickered constantly. The air was filled with the smell of strong liquor, cheap perfume, and strong tobacco.

Four huge projection screens hung in the air above the circular arena. Only those with more than 10,000 points had the资格 to appear on the screens.

At the edge of the hall was a rest area, which Sun Yan couldn't afford. As usual, he walked straight to the center of the hall, where thousands of "virtual fighting machines" were placed.

The "virtual fighting machines" were like small rooms. After swiping his card, Sun Yan entered one. The interior was simple, with a metal chair and a helmet.

Putting on the helmet, the world before his eyes suddenly darkened, and he found himself in a completely different environment.

The cold voice of the optical brain sounded in his ear, "Connecting, please wait..."

"Connection complete, user number 2437521, codename: One Punch Blood, points: 7."

"Please wait, matching opponent automatically..."

Sun Yan was the 2,437,521st registered user of this Starlight Fighting City, which was quite early, as the current user numbers had already exceeded eight digits.

A figure appeared in the virtual space, similar in build to Sun Yan, with clearly defined muscles and explosive power. The characters created on the "virtual fighting machine" all had the strength of a first-level warrior. Sun Yan's virtual character was named "One Punch Blood," a name that sounded powerful, but unfortunately, he was always the one being beaten to a pulp.

However, this did not dampen Sun Yan's enthusiasm, as for him, experiencing the battle of a first-level warrior might be a long time away.

Taking a deep breath, Sun Yan let out an excited yell, "Come on! Big brother is going to dominate tonight, gods and buddhas be damned!"

"Automatic match complete, opponent codename: Butcher, points: 34,527. Countdown begins, 30, 29..."

Sun Yan was instantly stunned, "34,527 points, Butcher? Damn, are they playing with me?"

0.001 credit points were wasted again...

...

In a corner of the hall's rest area, two people were sitting in the shadows. One was a 240 cm tall man with short, spiky hair and a scar running from his left eye to his jaw, looking fierce and menacing. The other was a lean middle-aged man in a well-tailored suit, wearing thin glasses, who seemed out of place in the environment.

The two were staring intently at the projection screen hanging in the air. The scar-faced man grunted and took a hard puff on his cigar, "The standards in the Starlight Fighting City are getting worse and worse. Even if these people are recruited into the Galactic Group, they would only be cannon fodder."

"Don't be impatient, Quick, you're too hasty," the lean middle-aged man said, raising his glass for a sip. "If it were easy to find talented martial artists, we wouldn't have a job. Patience always pays off."

"Hmph!" Quick glared at the middle-aged man in the suit, "Wu Zhong, don't get too cocky. Last time, you secretly signed those two into the Stellar Group when I wasn't paying attention. I haven't settled that score with you yet! You're buying dinner tonight."

Wu Zhong slowly swirled his wine glass and smiled, "Our Stellar Group and your Galactic Group are competitors. Why should I pay for you? If we're talking about personal relationships, you should be the one buying dinner."

Quick rolled his eyes and said rudely, "No matter what, I, Quick, am signing these three this time. If you, Wu Zhong, play any tricks, don't blame me for being unfriendly."

Wu Zhong laughed, "Quick, we may be familiar, but discovering talent for the company is my job, and it shouldn't be mixed with personal relationships. Let's see who can sign them, each on their own merits."

People who lived in Luoshan City for a long time knew that the Galactic Group and the Stellar Group were two famous interstellar mercenary groups in the city, and places like the Starlight Fighting City were where many interstellar mercenary groups discovered talent.

At this moment, the screen in the hall displayed the codename: Butcher, immediately catching the attention of the two men. The entire fighting city hall erupted in cheers.

"Butcher, huh?" Quick bit his cigar and laughed, "This kid is good. He has a fierce fighting spirit and great talent. At 18, he has already mastered the 1st Rank combat technique [Bear Ape Lean] to a proficient level. After this match, I'll sign him immediately. Wu Zhong, no competing with me."

Wu Zhong's eyes gleamed with shrewdness, "I can let you have him, but the other two go to our Stellar Group?"

"Crafty Chinese," Quick muttered, "We'll see, your Stellar Group isn't good enough yet."

On the virtual screen, the two opponents appeared. The contestant with the codename Butcher was a 2-meter-tall man, bare-chested, with perfect muscles that were awe-inspiring. His entrance caused a wave of cheers and screams in the fighting city hall, showing his high popularity.

Codename: Butcher, points: 34,527.

In the entire Starlight Fighting City, there were fewer than 100 contestants with more than 10,000 points, and Butcher was one of the best, with 34,527 points placing him in the top 10.

In contrast, his opponent, codename: One Punch Blood, had only 7 points.

The vast difference in points made the match almost a foregone conclusion, but the people in the fighting hall still cheered loudly. What did it matter if the opponents were vastly different in strength? As long as the weaker one was thoroughly beaten, it was still an exciting event.

"Butcher, knock that One Punch Blood down and show him what it means to bleed."

"Crush him, crush him."

"Beat him to a pulp!"

The two in the "virtual fighting machine" couldn't hear these cheers, but Sun Yan was feeling bitter. He had hoped to have a bit of luck tonight and win a couple of rounds, but he had run into a nightmare right from the start.

"Ah, bad luck can't be blamed on society!" Sun Yan lamented silently, slowly assuming a defensive stance. Even though the strength difference was huge, he couldn't lose too disgracefully.

Over the past five years, Sun Yan had lost thousands of battles, big and small. Although his strength was weak, he had some experience in defense. Especially since the characters created all had the strength of a first-level warrior, he could manage to hold out for a few hits.

Looking at Sun Yan, Butcher clenched his fists in front of his chest, making a crisp sound, and sneered, "Kid, you can still back out now. Otherwise, you'll become a laughingstock, and you can't blame me."

Sun Yan didn't speak, crossing his arms in front of his chest, one in front and one behind, completely relaxing his body. The whip-like form of the [Soldier Shape Three Forms] was a defensive and offensive move, and he understood it the best.

"Stupid kid." Butcher stomped his feet and lunged forward, suddenly turning his body, raising his shoulder, and extending his elbow.

Whoosh!

A fierce wind sounded, and Sun Yan's pupils contracted. He felt the surroundings suddenly become quiet, and Butcher's entire body disappeared from his sight. All he could see was Butcher's shoulder and elbow muscles suddenly swelling, growing larger in his eyes.

[Bear Ape Lean]!

Bang!

A dull sound echoed, and Sun Yan was thrown backward, crashing into the virtual arena's wall and slowly sliding down.

In the fighting hall, the scar-faced man Quick excitedly slapped his thigh, "Ha ha ha... that's it, that's it. This Butcher always fights with full strength, one hit to kill. Only such people can survive on the edge of life and death."

Wu Zhong nodded in appreciation, "He's a talent. With proper training, he can become a good interstellar mercenary."

The atmosphere in the hall was electrified, the dim light reflecting the excited and enthusiastic faces of the crowd. Many people were screaming in excitement at Butcher's hit.

However, the cheers didn't last long. People were surprised to see One Punch Blood, who had fallen to the ground, stand up again and return to the center of the arena.

Butcher looked his opponent up and down, shaking his head, "No fatal injuries? Is the optical brain malfunctioning? Fine! You're called One Punch Blood, and this time, I'll make you taste what it means to bleed."

Whoosh!

Without hesitation, Butcher lunged forward again, turning his body, raising his shoulder, and extending his elbow. The 1st Rank combat technique [Bear Ape Lean] was executed even more fiercely this time.

In an instant, the fierce shoulder and elbow strikes were in front of Sun Yan, aiming at his face and chest.

At this moment, Sun Yan suddenly looked up, took a small step to the right, and swung his left arm like a whip, curving and snapping.

A crisp sound echoed, and the two passed each other. Butcher took two steps forward, his face contorted and eyes bulging, then his body softened and he fell to the ground with a thud.

Instantly, the entire fighting hall fell silent...

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