Chapter 75: Life-or-Death Arena

The moment Lu Yan stepped into the marketplace, he felt the long-lost sensation of prosperity.

Blinding neon signs lined both sides of the street. The strange and diverse crowd stood in stark contrast to the lifeless and desolate Cavern No. 71.

Cavern No. 71 might have been thriving during the pharmaceutical factory’s golden days, but now it was just an abandoned, garbage-strewn slum. Among tens of thousands of people, only Quentin had barely brushed the threshold of becoming a Spirit Energy user. Compared to this place, it was utterly insignificant.

Just walking a few blocks along the street, Lu Yan spotted over a dozen mutants no weaker than Quentin. There were even two individuals who had clearly undergone mechanical augmentation—most likely genuine Spirit Energy users.

As Lu Yan observed the dense and varied crowd, one particular building caught his attention.

It was an exquisitely renovated club. Surrounding the flashing neon sign were more than a dozen scantily clad beauties winking seductively at passersby. Strange pink mist periodically sprayed from pipes protruding from the upper floors.

Lu Yan noticed that several people who inhaled the pink mist immediately rushed into the club with reddened eyes.

“…Spraying aphrodisiacs right on the street?”

Having seen all manner of absurdities in the Cyber version, Lu Yan barely batted an eye. If anything, he felt the tactic was a little too low-brow.

But Quentin’s reaction was quite different—he looked genuinely impressed.

“Didn’t expect that after just five months, Springtide Club’s service types have expanded to 172! Might be the most inclusive club in the entire Lower City.”

“One hundred seventy-two? Service types?” Lu Yan frowned in confusion.

Quentin pointed to the massive neon sign out front. “Take a closer look. There are 172 icons on the sign, each representing one of the 172 genders officially recognized by the Universal Conglomerate.

“Being able to include all of them proves that the club can cater to every kind of customer. It’s considered a symbol of social progress.”

Lu Yan’s brain practically froze. He couldn’t help blurting out, “172 genders? Where the hell did that many genders come from?”

This drew several disdainful glances from nearby pedestrians. But Quentin’s massive Kirin Arm deterred anyone from speaking out.

Quentin began counting on his fingers. “Male, female, femboy, partial cyborg, partial mutant-featured individuals, female-to-male identifying as biological female…

“And that’s just what this place accommodates. In truth, the number of genders across the major cities goes far beyond 172.”

The absurdity made Lu Yan think of the United Federation from the Urban version. He couldn’t help cracking a sarcastic joke.

“So, do any of these genders include ‘attack helicopter’?”

Quentin replied seriously, “Of course. In fact, you even know that person.”

“…Who?”

“Green Ivy. She registered as an ‘attack helicopter’ when she was seven. She believed that swinging her twin ponytails would allow her to fly, and even asked me multiple times if I could modify her hair into rotor blades.”

Lu Yan was at a complete loss. He waved his hand in frustration and cut off the topic. “Enough about genders. Let’s focus on selling our product at the life-or-death arena.”

The two quickened their pace, and soon a colossal, stadium-like building came into view.

After paying a 300-credit admission fee, they easily entered the arena. The thunderous roar of the crowd shook Lu Yan’s eardrums.

At the center of the arena stood the ring, and in the surrounding bleachers, countless bloodshot gamblers were waving their betting slips, screaming their lungs out for the fighters in the ring.

A neatly dressed young man in a suit walked over with a warm smile and flawless etiquette.

“Are you Mr. Quentin?”

Quentin nodded with arrogant composure. “I’m here to speak with Mr. Shack. I made an appointment earlier.”

“Mr. Shack is currently entertaining an important guest. He instructed me to take you to the VIP suite he prepared in advance. Please follow me.”

Stepping past the screaming spectators, Lu Yan and Quentin were led to a private box.

The walls of the box were made of one-way glass, allowing an unobstructed view of the arena below.

No sooner had Lu Yan taken his seat than the host’s booming voice echoed through the arena.

“Up next: the Hormone Goblin!”

The crowd erupted in a tsunami of cheers.

“And his opponent—undefeated in fifteen matches—the rising star, Steroid Warrior!”

Moments later, two hulking figures stepped into the center of the ring.

Each stood nearly 2.5 meters tall, their bodies packed with grotesque muscle and absolutely devoid of fat.

Every inch of their skin was covered in Spirit Energy tattoos, glowing faintly with a bluish hue like two oversized Smurfs.

With Lu Yan’s eye, it was obvious: both of them had undergone extreme mutations caused by excessive injections of low-grade Spirit Energy potions.

The tattoos looked flashy, but they were completely disorganized—clearly not crafted by any proper Compiler. All for show.

Even Quentin could probably knock these two out with a single punch.

As soon as the referee gave the signal, the two titans sprang into motion.

But instead of charging at each other, they bolted to the edge of the ring and grabbed fistfuls of prepared syringes, jabbing them into their own bodies without hesitation.

Lu Yan froze.

One after another, glowing blue syringes were injected. The already oversized muscles began inflating like balloons.

One shot, two shots, three shots… seventeen shots—both sides were caught in a bizarre arms race.

You jab one, I jab two. You jab ten, I jab eleven.

Every shot injected sent a violent surge of industrial-grade Spirit Energy into their bodies. Some of it fused with their flesh, granting them temporary power. But most of it leaked out, corroding their flesh and leaving rot-blackened sores and punctures all over.

The fighters’ faces flushed purple. Yet they gritted their teeth and kept stabbing themselves with more.

The audience was completely fired up, chanting with feverish glee.

“One more shot! One more shot!”

“Go, Steroid Warrior! No one has your tolerance!”

Even Quentin was swept up in the excitement, clenching his fists and staring at the ring, completely engrossed.

“…And this is what passes for a life-or-death duel?”

Lu Yan finally couldn’t hold back his question.

But Quentin nodded solemnly. “Yes. This is part of what defines a true life-or-death match.”

He sighed with admiration. “Honestly, I haven’t visited the arena in ages. Didn’t expect to see such a brilliant match today. It was worth the trip.”

Lu Yan’s face twitched. “Brilliant? Are you insane?”

Quentin responded with a disappointed shake of his head, as if Lu Yan just didn’t get it.

“They’re injecting low-grade Spirit Energy potions. The industrial-grade kind wreaks havoc on the body, yes—but it also grants a short burst of power.

“Every shot gives them a temporary buff and raises their odds of winning.

“The fact that both fighters chose to inject means they judged each other to be on par and are now trying to get an edge through raw dosage.

“The one who dares to inject one more shot might tip the fight in their favor.

“This is a battle of absolute limits. Not just of drug tolerance, but of understanding one’s physical boundaries.

“Blindly chasing quantity without knowing your limits leads to death, plain and simple.

“In a needle race like this, there are only two outcomes—either both hit their limit and engage in a spectacular slugfest…”

He paused mid-sentence.

The Steroid Warrior trembled. The syringe slipped from his hand.

Blood began pouring from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.

Lu Yan watched as his internal organs—corroded beyond repair by the rampant industrial Spirit Energy—finally gave out. The titan collapsed.

“Forty-three shots. If he had endured just two more, the one to fall might’ve been the Hormone Goblin. But the young are always too eager, too reckless.”

Quentin sighed, speaking with the tone of a seasoned gambler.

“In the life-or-death arena, one misstep means no turning back.”

As he finished, the referee declared the purple-faced Hormone Goblin the victor.

The Steroid Warrior, bleeding from all seven orifices, was quickly hauled away on a massive stretcher.

Lu Yan’s expression eased slightly. He even offered a rare compliment. “Well, at least the arena provides medical care. Too bad the guy’s already dead—what’s the point?”

Quentin followed Lu Yan’s gaze and offered an explanation.

“Forty-three shots. That kind of drug resistance is nearly unheard of.

“They’re not taking him for emergency treatment—they’re hauling him to the Corpse Factory. Before the Spirit Energy in his body fully dissipates, they’ll extract and sell it.

“All that accumulated low-grade Spirit Energy from forty-three shots? That corpse’ll fetch a hefty price.”

(End of Chapter)