Chapter 55: A Life-and-Death Arena Match?

When Xu Haishui said they had recorded the incident, the fury on Qiu Taifei’s face instantly gave way to an ugly expression.

He wasn’t the only one. The members of the Wild Wolf Mercenary Group all showed varying degrees of unease.

Seeing this, Patrol Captain Wang Hongjun could tell at once who had been lying.

As Xu Haishui spoke, he opened the holographic display and played the recording.

Everyone present watched the footage with different feelings—everyone except one.

Shen Han raised her wrist computer and checked the time. Her brows furrowed slightly.

“I’ll head down first,” she murmured to Fang Tianhe.

Fang Tianhe nodded. He was worried about Lin Xinghai too; someone should go ahead.

With all eyes on her, Shen Han entered the elevator shaft and took the elevator down. Qiu Taifei had no way to stop her.

Wang Hongjun frowned at the sight, but the other members of the Heaven-Splitting Mercenary Group remained where they were, so he said nothing.

The video was short and soon came to an end. The whole sequence of events was now perfectly clear.

Faced with such irrefutable evidence, even Qiu Taifei couldn’t deny what had happened, no matter how shameless he was. And there was something else Xu Haishui had said that troubled him greatly.

The other side had learned to record incidents and preserve evidence because they knew what had happened between Lin Xinghai and the Axe Gang.

Did that mean something had gone wrong for the Axe Gang, too? Had someone managed to leave behind evidence?

At the thought, he sent Huai Feifu a message to ask.

But even after the video ended, there was still no reply. His anxiety only grew.

“Commander Qiu Taifei, do you have anything else to say?” Wang Hongjun asked.

By now, the facts were clear: the Wild Wolf Mercenary Group had been solely responsible for provoking the incident.

Fang Tianhe’s response had been somewhat excessive, but mercenary work was a profession in which you carried your life in your hands. You could die out there on your very next assignment.

So even an extreme reaction—or a twisted personality—was understandable, as long as he kept himself in check and didn’t hurt anyone else.

Qiu Taifei said nothing in response to Wang Hongjun’s question.

As if he had expected that, Wang Hongjun continued, “In that case, under the Public Order Law—”

“Wait.” Fang Tianhe interrupted him. “Under the Public Order Law, the harshest penalty for the Wild Wolf Mercenary Group’s actions would be ten thousand points and a compulsory hunt for ten thousand zombies. That’s far too lenient.”

Qiu Taifei’s brows shot up. How could that be called lenient? For an ordinary Level One mercenary group, a penalty like that would be devastating.

Not every Level One group was like the Heaven-Splitting Mercenary Group, with strength on par with a Level Two group. Many Level One groups didn’t even own a single mech.

Even Wang Hongjun was displeased by Fang Tianhe’s words. “Commander Fang, what exactly are you getting at? If you’re unhappy with my ruling later, you can file an appeal in court—”

“Captain Wang, I mean to apply for a life-and-death arena match,” Fang Tianhe said.

He spoke softly, but his words landed like a bomb. Several mercenaries around them cried out in shock.

Qiu Taifei’s face turned ashen. Even Wang Hongjun looked startled.

The life-and-death arena was designed to settle irreconcilable disputes between mercenaries.

For instance, after the clash between the Heaven-Splitting and Wild Wolf Mercenary Groups, who could guarantee that Wild Wolf wouldn’t seek revenge later?

Once both sides entered the arena, they could fight to the death, and neither would face any further consequences afterward.

Of course, the match couldn’t be requested on a whim. An application required a fee of ten thousand points, which would not be refunded, whether the applicant won or lost.

Once an application was submitted, if the other side agreed, the military would arrange the match.

After that, each fighter’s fate would rest in their own hands.

More often, though, the other side refused the challenge. Did that mean the ten thousand points went to waste? Not at all.

Refusing a life-and-death match counted as surrender. For the next three months, the outcome would be posted on the Mercenary Guild’s bulletin board for all to see: a certain mercenary had admitted defeat, acknowledging that he was no match for his opponent.

That could do serious damage to one’s reputation, especially for well-known Level Two and Level Three groups.

Some people didn’t care about their reputation, of course. But surrender came with more than that penalty. If the winner encountered the loser, the winner would enjoy numerous privileges.

They could take priority at the shooting range, secure repair bays first, and receive precedence in logistical support, among other things.

The winner could even order the loser to leave any public venue.

If Fang Tianhe won, for example, he could show up at the Mercenary Guild and forbid Qiu Taifei—or any member of the Wild Wolf Mercenary Group—from entering.

That applied to restaurants, shopping centers, dance halls, and more.

In short, the winner held this power in any public place. Even if the loser was standing in the street, the winner could tell him to take another route.

Throughout that period, the losing side would also be watched around the clock by patrol drones, to prevent them from using any underhanded means to take revenge.

The surveillance would continue for three months.

If the winner still wasn’t satisfied, or suspected that the loser might seek revenge, they could spend another ten thousand points to file a new application—and keep repeating the process indefinitely.

Put simply, it was naked survival of the fittest.

The only difference was that the weak received some measure of protection. At least they wouldn’t lose their lives.

Wang Hongjun was briefly taken aback when Fang Tianhe made the application, but he quickly recovered and asked him to confirm it.

Fang Tianhe confirmed, then immediately paid the ten-thousand-point deposit.

Now Qiu Taifei was the one left in an impossible position.

The Wild Wolf Mercenary Group was stronger overall than the Heaven-Splitting Mercenary Group.

If the two sides hadn’t just fought, Qiu Taifei might have accepted the challenge.

But after experiencing Fang Tianhe’s strength firsthand, how could he possibly dare step into the arena?

After a long silence, Qiu Taifei turned and left without a word. The other members of the Wild Wolf Mercenary Group hurried after him.

Wang Hongjun wasn’t surprised. Turning to Fang Tianhe, he said, “Your application has been accepted. If the other side agrees, we’ll notify you in advance. If they don’t respond within twenty-four hours, they’ll be considered to have forfeited.”

“Also, your application for a life-and-death match doesn’t conflict with the penalties they face for violating the Public Order Law. We’ll proceed with the case according to the law.”

“Finally, as the other party involved, you can choose not to press charges. In that case, we’ll reduce the penalty. Do you—”

“I’m pressing charges,” Fang Tianhe said before Wang Hongjun could finish.

Wang Hongjun nodded and made a note, then led his team away.

Only then did Wu Yan and Xu Haishui come over. They had plenty of questions about Fang Tianhe’s uncharacteristic behavior.