92. The Secret of the Riders' Village

As Flavii continued with his introduction, the low growls of beasts echoed from the desert. Three contestants, each clad in short vests, rode onto the arena atop fiery red velociraptors, their bodies marked with stripes and spots, each nearly two meters tall.

“Hey, everyone! We are the Tyrant Riders!”
The three dinosaur riders raised their assault rifles and fired several shots into the air.

“Wow! I’ve rarely seen anyone who can tame dinosaurs!” Flavii’s eyes sparkled as he leaned in, only to be startled back by the raptors’ snarls.
“You actually manage to make these temperamental monsters submit as mounts—surely you must possess some extraordinary skills!”

Beside him, the dragonborn maid offered the trio a gentle smile, curiosity in her voice as she asked, “I’d love to hear how you bond with your little dinosaurs~”

The young, brown-skinned rider in the team shyly rubbed his nose with his finger and said, “It’s not as impressive as it sounds. We killed their parents and stole their eggs to raise them ourselves.”

The atmosphere instantly grew awkward at his words.
His teammate immediately smacked him on the head. “How could you reveal the secrets of our Rider Village?”

“Sorry, big brother!” Realizing his slip, the rider quickly tugged his reins, turned his raptor, and hurried off to prepare for the match.

After the three riders departed, the dragonborn maid covered her mouth in dismay, whispering, “How cruel, to kill the parents just to raise the young…”

Clearly, any goodwill she held toward the Tyrant Riders was gone.

“That’s just their way of survival, isn’t it?” Flavii shrugged and moved on to introduce the next teams.

After sending off several more mercenary and assassin teams, Flavii stretched wearily and picked up his script, continuing,
“Let’s welcome the final team of today’s competition… Eh? Oh! Here they come!”

Flavii shielded his eyes with his hand, scanning the distance. Sure enough, a small pickup truck sped into the arena, executing a spectacular 180-degree drift before coming to a halt.

“Well done, you made it just in time~”
The first to step out was a youth with black-rimmed glasses, his face blurred as if pixelated, dressed in his usual mercenary attire—body armor and rifle.

Next, White Fox and Big Sword leapt out of the truck, their gaze directed at the camera.

As Chen Shang was about to close the door, a childish female voice suddenly called out from within the driverless pickup,
“Ha ha ha! They actually had me and that swordsman escort you to the competition—what an honor!”

“Thank you, I’ll win the championship~” Chen Shang replied, closing the door casually.

As they made their way to the competition, Black Kalis sensed that the Xu Corporation was once again sending people to intercept them.
To shake off their pursuers, Chen Shang had Black Kalis drive circles through the city, leading them into an ambush laid by Chu Jianlai. Only after luring the pursuers into Chu Jianlai’s trap did they head toward the competition venue.

Chu Jianlai had no qualms about such dirty work—in fact, he was eager to kill a few more Xu Corporation agents, and his favorability increased by three points from this assignment.

“Ha ha ha! Don’t let me down!”
The driverless pickup spun in place once more and sped away.

“Excellent, our final team has finally arrived!” Flavii shook his comical flower-shaped head and hurried to greet them.
“Your performance in the ten preliminary rounds was spectacular—a true reversal of fortune!”

“Thank you for the praise. We were just lucky,” Chen Shang replied, nodding modestly without a hint of arrogance.

“Don’t be so modest! Your team is trending on Twibo!” Flavii laughed. “Everyone’s calling you the ‘Challengers Who Reverse the Black Curtain!’ By the way, the fox-eared girl in your team—is she the famous mercenary ‘White Fox’?”

“Yes, that’s her.”
Chen Shang gestured to the girl behind him, and White Fox waved graciously to the audience.

Mercenaries and assassins joining the grand tournament was hardly unusual; especially those who were struggling in their circles, many would choose to gamble for fame in such popular competitions.

“By the way, I’ve always wanted to ask—what’s your team’s name?”
Flavii scratched his flower head and handed the microphone to Chen Shang.

Chen Shang thought for a moment and answered, “Phantom Thieves.”

“Eh—?”
Flavii let out a disappointed sigh.
“That’s such an uncreative name. I’ll just call you ‘Fox Sword Glasses Team!’”

Chen Shang laughed awkwardly but politely, throwing out a sarcastic remark, “You really are a unique host.”

“Thank you for the compliment~”
Flavii’s flower head wobbled wildly, whether from misunderstanding or feigned ignorance was unclear.
“Let’s send off this team and wish them outstanding performance!”

“Hehehe~ Miss White Fox… hehehe~”
Amo, nearby, made an adorable expression and giggled foolishly.

Suddenly, White Fox felt a chill run through her body, her ears pressed tightly against her hair, and she quickly followed Chen Shang into the arena.

After all the teams had departed, the flower-headed host produced a new script, spread his arms wide, and proclaimed,
“This competition will follow last year’s ‘Deathmatch Battle Royale’ rules! Fifteen teams will compete in a semi-open desert ruins arena prepared by the organizers, and only one team can claim victory!”

“As usual, the winners will receive a million-dollar prize and a specially crafted solid gold trophy!”

Suddenly, the sand dune behind him heaved upward, and a massive glass display rose from the ground, piled high with mountains of cash and an enormous trophy.

Most residents of Night Axis City would never see such wealth in their lifetimes; many spectators’ tears streamed down their cheeks at the sight.

Yet most of the audience knew a tacit “secret”—that this prize money was only the tip of the iceberg. The real treasure was the solid gold trophy.

If the champions sent that trophy to the black market auction house, Radiant Bird Corporation would dispatch agents to buy it for two million, effectively doubling the prize.

Why do they do this? It’s simply a money-laundering trick, and it evades the “competition tax” imposed by the Conglomerate Union.

Although the Conglomerate Union strongly disapproves, it tacitly accepts this unwritten rule—after all, Radiant Bird is one of its leading members.

“Not only that, this competition also features hidden tasks! Completing them earns extra prizes generously donated by Radiant Bird Corporation!”

With a wave of his hand, another glass display case rose from the sand.

Inside were not jewels or cash, but a box of exquisitely packaged serum, assembled from twelve vials.

“This is the ‘Gene Repair Agent RAG-11037,’ developed by Radiant Bird Corporation. Fewer than five hundred exist worldwide; it’s priceless!”

“Since the nuclear war decades ago, radiation has been our constant companion—our food, our air, our homes… Radiation is always with us, altering our genes, ravaging our bodies!”

“This gene repair agent stabilizes human genes and repairs mutations caused by radiation!”

“Whether you have mild radiation exposure, severe genetic mutation, terminal cancer, or some bizarre condition, this agent can cure your disease! One vial clears your mind, two banish pain, three grant immortality!”

“Complete the hidden task and Radiant Bird will generously award a full set of twelve vials! Are you tempted, contestants?!”

Hidden in the ruins of the desert arena, Chen Shang’s team watched the prize announcement via the holographic projection overhead.

“So you weren’t lying—the prize really is the gene repair agent!”
White Fox’s muffled voice came from under her gas mask, her ears twitching with joy.

But soon she sensed something amiss.
“Wait, but he says the gene repair agent is a hidden task reward? Didn’t you say it was the champion’s prize?”

Just as White Fox reached for Chen Shang’s collar to demand an explanation, the host’s holographic projection resumed its speech:

“And the hidden task for this tournament is—kill the super beast released into the arena! The very monster that once nearly destroyed Night Axis City, the calamity sovereign that devours all. When it appears, the earth trembles, steel shatters, rivers boil!”

“It is called—”

Chen Shang stretched lazily and turned to Big Sword.

“Devourer Dragon!”