117 Overstimulated (4100)

"Kill him! Kill him! Kill him..."

The cheers drew closer, the deafening roar of the crowd nearly hitting them like a physical wave. Suddenly, the entire space opened up before them.

It was a cavernous arena, with laser lights suspended from the ceiling, casting intense beams directly down onto the ring below. The square ring was elevated above the floor, and unlike a standard boxing match, it was enclosed by a sturdy wire fence. This was no mere sport; it was a battle for survival.

At this very moment, two figures were locked in a vicious struggle. Every strike was brutal and calculated, aimed directly at the other's vitals. Any punch that landed dealt significant damage.

"Oh!"

The boy behind Old Tang let out a sharp cry.

Across the distant ring, a brawny man with a red ribbon tied around his arm had landed a crushing uppercut on his opponent. The impact shattered the other man's teeth, and blood sprayed wildly. The fighter with the blue ribbon wobbled, looking dazed and on the verge of being finished.

"Heh, I told you it would be exciting, didn't I?"

Old Tang, his hair dyed red, grinned.

Of the five students present, Old Tang and one other boy were deeply fascinated. One girl looked curious, another covered her eyes in fear, and the last remained perfectly calm.

The calm girl was the prettiest of the three. She wore her hair in a black ponytail, looking sharp and spirited. Her features were delicate, her skin fair, and her shapely, long legs were encased in tight jeans.

"Will... will they kill someone?" asked Lily, the girl covering her eyes.

"Not yet, they're still fighting," her boyfriend said, patting her shoulder to reassure her.

The five of them exchanged glances and found seats at a medium distance. Old Tang had wanted to get closer for a better view, but Lily was terrified and insisted on sitting near the back. They compromised by taking seats in the middle.

On the ring, the slaughter continued.

The red-ribbon fighter lunged forward, using his superior height and bulk to close the distance. He tensed the muscles in his right arm and unleashed a fierce swinging punch.

The blue-ribbon fighter deflected the blow with his elbow, suppressing the pain, and slid to the left. He followed up with a violent knee strike.

Unexpectedly, the red-ribbon fighter kicked out with heavy force, intercepting the knee and throwing the blue-ribbon fighter off balance, causing him to stumble to the side.

Seizing the instability, the red-ribbon fighter threw a straight punch aimed directly at the temple. His intent was clear: he meant to finish his opponent once and for all.

A collective gasp rose from the crowd, interspersed with excited whistling and cheering.

At the last second, the blue-ribbon fighter shielded his head with both hands. He saved his life at the cost of a fractured left arm, stumbling backward repeatedly.

"Aww..." a chorus of disappointment rose from the audience.

Some spectators were unhappy that the blow hadn't ended the fight. But the red-ribbon fighter pressed his advantage, driving his injured opponent back. It seemed the outcome was already sealed.

"This is just too bloody..."

Lily looked like she couldn't bear to watch. Both fighters were drenched in gore. The blue-ribbon fighter had multiple wounds, blood gushing from torn flesh, while the red-ribbon fighter was splattered with his opponent's life force.

With skin shredded and bone fragments protruding, even Old Tang, who had seen this a few times, felt a wave of nausea. But the fanatical atmosphere of the crowd washed away his revulsion, stripping away their inhibitions.

Men in suits and ties had shed their personas here, waving their fists and screaming for the kill. The local toughs—bald, tattooed, and sporting thick gold chains—were equally delirious, whistling and egging them on.

Many stood up, their eyes bloodshot, fists clenched tight. They were fixated on the victory, having placed heavy bets on the match.

Humanity's mania for violence and blood, coupled with the lust for money, filled the arena to the brim, deeply shocking the students from Koflun.

Living in their ivory towers, these students had never seen such a spectacle. Their impression of society went as far as nightclubs and discos; being thrust into an underground death match was truly a sensory overload.

Lily glanced around and noticed that of the five of them, the calmest was the class beauty, Shenya. Although her brow was slightly furrowed, her face remained impassive.

"Shenya..."

***

At the same time, on the bustling streets of the Sunset District, pedestrians flowed like a river, enjoying the vibrant night market. A group of five merged into the crowd, walking slowly toward the location of the underground fight. One of them was tall and burly, with curly hair and a jacket draped over his shoulders.

Though his face was ordinary, he possessed an indescribable masculine charm that inexplicably drew the attention of young women. Two girls had already approached him to strike up a conversation during the walk, only to be rejected.

"Hey, you have to admit, Boss looks so plain, yet for some reason, he's so popular with the women..." a teammate teased over White Wolf’s earpiece.

"Tell me about it. Yesterday, while I was out shopping, I saw Boss leaving a hotel with Captain Bingli from Squad C11. Boss looked completely drained, and there were several lipstick marks on his neck he hadn't wiped off..." a voice with a nasal, duck-like quality chuckled, exposing him.

"Hey, Boss, how’s the taste of a witch?"

White Wolf arched an eyebrow and said earnestly, "The taste of a witch... is naturally quite excellent..."

"It’s a pity, Gangzi, you probably won't ever get to experience the taste of a woman in this lifetime." That remark hit deep.

The nasal voice on the other end went silent.

Gangzi was a veteran member of Squad C13 whose ability caused his body temperature to rise as he became more excited. So, you get the idea... He had once been taken to a certain establishment by a "veteran," only to burst into flames and nearly burn the entire building down.

What girl would dare touch him?

Later, he had a track record of accidentally igniting his dormitory while "practicing," and burning his bed to ashes while watching adult films.

It was a tragic history.

White Wolf’s words effectively silenced Gangzi.

"Ugh, that hurts, Boss."

"Who told you to poke fun at me earlier?"

The group chatted on the channel for a while before turning off the main street toward the storefront that housed the underground arena.

The mission brief was clear: it was an adult products shop. The location was a bit remote, but the signage was conspicuous enough. It didn't take long for them to arrive. To the right, neon lights flickered, and the packaging in the display case, featuring sexy women, was enticing.

"Boss, what's the play?"

Gangzi, who was quite handsome, scanned the facade.

"Follow the protocol. We pose as customers first, then once we're close enough to the arena, we drop the act," White Wolf said, reaching up to touch the pendant on his earlobe.

The slight chill of it gave him peace of mind.

With this item, the team's safety and confidence had increased exponentially—not to mention the healing factor.

White Wolf smiled faintly. "Let's go."

"Heh." Gangzi turned to look at the other three teammates, a feral grin on his face. His skin was already beginning to heat up.

*Click, click, click, click...*

The group walked down the corridor. Two bodyguards in black suits blocked their path. One demanded they show their ID cards.

White Wolf pulled one from his coat and handed it over. As the bodyguard reached out, four cold flashes struck from below.

*Thwip.* The steel claws pierced the bodyguard’s chin, tearing through him. Blood gushed out, and the bodyguard didn't even have a chance to scream.

"You..." the other bodyguard’s eyes widened.

*Thwip.* With a swift motion, the steel claws severed his neck. A head dropped to the ground, rolling across the floor and painting it crimson.

"Bad move!"

"We're under attack!"

"Take them out! Shoot them!"

The remaining five bodyguards shouted, quickly drawing pistols from their waists and firing a continuous barrage.

The bullets tore through the air, carrying massive kinetic energy, and struck White Wolf in the forehead. But they were intercepted by a faint film of light, flattening instantly upon impact.

White Wolf lifted his head, a few drops of blood splashing onto his cheek, his pupils burning with the desire for slaughter.

"Kill!"

The entire squad charged forward, not even bothering to dodge. They let the bullets hit them; such handgun rounds were nothing more than a nuisance.

The ring-force barrier didn't even ripple. Unless it was a high-powered sniper rifle, a Vulcan cannon, or a rocket launcher, they had nothing to fear. Even automatic rifles didn't cause them a moment's panic. The Golden Spiral organization had tested this extensively.

The squad surged forward, either hammering an enemy's head into their own chest, incinerating them with flame, or manifesting an air-limb in the void to snap a bodyguard's neck.

The battle ended in seven seconds.

The enemy was wiped out; Squad C13 remained unscathed.

*Squelch!*

White Wolf yanked his powerful arm back, withdrawing his bloodied steel claws from a chest. He looked at the scene around him, his eyes flickering. This was the battle he wanted—the way of a Spirit Ring Master.

Compared to his previous submissive posture, White Wolf felt more and more how stifling his past had been. Now, everything had changed, and his talents could finally be unleashed to their fullest...

Thinking of the Knight who had joined the Golden Spiral and become their eighth executive in just a few days, White Wolf felt a surge of admiration.

He shook himself out of his daze and refocused.

He scanned the area; his teammates were looking at him with burning eyes, a hidden longing in their gazes.

"Move. We storm in. Kill anyone who resists. The organization will handle the cleanup later. Right, don't kill the boss who runs this place—try to capture him alive. If you can't, do whatever," White Wolf said, tilting his head.

Ten seconds later, in the corridor leading to the underground arena, a series of rapid footsteps echoed.

The two bodyguards stationed at the entrance turned around, confused. Two fierce figures loomed over them, the last thing they saw being a pair of wolf-like eyes.

And then, there was nothing left...

Inside, the audience was still screaming. They hadn't even noticed the battle breaking out in the corridor behind them.

On the ring, the blue-ribbon fighter collapsed with a thud.

His face was bruised, blood blinding his eyes.

The brawny red-ribbon fighter roared, raising his powerful arms to welcome the cheers.

Five wins in a row. He had done it. This didn't just mean a payout of 200,000 Star Credits; it meant that he, "Bone-Crusher," had made a name for himself in the underground circuit!

After tonight's match, he was going to spend some money and indulge himself. He’d heard that the Nilodo white-chocolate girls could balance a champagne flute on their buttocks—he had to see if it was true tonight.

In the stands, many people stood up.

They waved their arms, cheering with bloodshot eyes. The fanatical atmosphere infected everyone.

Except for Lily and Shenya, Old Tang and the other two had stood up, waving their arms without really knowing why. Perhaps they just wanted to fit in.

Suddenly, from the corridor on the other side of the hall, a team of a dozen men rushed out, all of them burly and armed with black rifles. Their tactical gear was top-notch.

The leader pressed his earpiece, his gaze passing over the ring toward the corridor directly opposite.

There, a man with steel claws dripping with blood stared back, his eyes full of fanatical combat lust. Behind him stood four others just like him.

"Kill!!!"

Squad C13 charged out, flying straight toward them.

The armed personnel of the underground arena raised their rifles, aiming at the five figures in the distance.

"You... you... what are you doing?"

Standing on the ring, still basking in the cheers, the brawny man turned around, satisfied. Suddenly, he found himself staring into the barrels of a dozen guns pointed directly at him!

He stuttered, forgetting even to run.

"FIRE!!!"

*Rat-tat-tat! Rat-tat-tat! Whoosh!*

A dozen sparks erupted, forming a screen of metal in mid-air. Bullets screamed out like lightning.

The brawny man blocking the path was turned into a sieve in an instant, his whole body trembling as if he’d been electrocuted. His solid muscles were no match for the bullets. His broad chest was turned into a honeycomb.

*Thump.* He fell heavily backward.

The brawny man stared at the ceiling, dead, perhaps still dreaming of the white-chocolate girl from tonight.

"Ah!"

"People are dying!"

Piercing screams echoed through the arena as the audience began to flee in chaos. Some unlucky ones ran straight into the line of fire and were shredded by bullet after bullet. Others were hit by stray fire while running, falling to the ground in agony, only to be trampled into pulp by the surging crowd.

On the edge of the firing range, Old Tang and his friends were pressed flat against the floor, their eyes wide with uncontrollable terror.

Their chests heaved violently.

They couldn't even catch their breath.

Lily, already timid, was nearly wetting herself. Her face was deathly pale, and her voice trembled with tears.

"Tang, is... is this what you called exciting?"

Old Tang offered a bitter smile.

"I think it might be a little *too* exciting..."