Chapter 134: The Black Prison

"Hit him!"

"Beat him to death!"

"Come on, punch him! Damn it, throw a punch!"

"Dammit, get up and kick him!"

...

"This is the Black Prison," Chen Xianli said, standing aside and speaking to Ye Fei.

The two stood in a remote corner to observe the battle. Ye Fei's gaze swept across the Black Prison. It was astonishingly large, roughly the size of a basketball court, with a ring set up right in the middle for the imprisoned fighters to battle. The surrounding area was packed with hundreds, if not thousands, of seats. According to explanations, the audience consisted of prison inmates as well as low-life figures from the outside world. On an even higher tier were premium seats reserved for wealthy tycoons and corrupt officials.

Everyone gathered here together to watch the matches and place bets.

"To think that the underground boxing arena of Deep Sea is hidden right inside this prison. These people are truly audacious; they are walking a tightrope," Ye Fei thought to himself.

Driven by enormous profits, these people would dare to do anything!

Ye Fei sighed, "Beneath the prosperous facade of Deep Sea, everything is rotting to the core. In just a few short months, so many shocking major incidents have occurred, any single one of which could trigger a massive tremor."

Chen Xianli nodded and said, "Indeed. Three-quarters of the local forces in Deep Sea have colluded with one another. That is the reason they have managed to stay untouched for all these years. Because this concerns the interests of three-quarters of the powerful elites in Deep Sea, who would dare to shake them? Who could shake them?"

Hearing this, Ye Fei remained silent. He knew the situation in Deep Sea was deeply severe, but the fact that Cui Yanwu—a genuine Ministry of State Security agent—was hiding his identity to serve as a minor investigator on a special task force in Deep Sea meant that the upper echelons had already taken notice of the trouble here. It would be resolved sooner or later.

"You mentioned that Boss Bao's men will enter the ring tonight?" Ye Fei asked, staring intently at the stage.

"Yes. The reason Boss Bao and his cronies can run amok in this prison is because they work for certain people, eliminating thorns in the prison's side. Another crucial point is that Boss Bao's men are fighters in the Black Prison, serving as cash cows for certain influential figures. That is why they are granted special privileges," Chen Xianli replied.

"You and the Thirteenth Blade faction also have fighters in this Black Prison, don't you?" Ye Fei chuckled.

Chen Xianli made no attempt to conceal it, admitting straight away, "That's right. The leaders of all three prison factions have subordinates who fight in the Black Prison. Without them, it would be impossible to secure a foothold here. Aside from the Judge and the Vajra, my top three enforcers—the Divine Fist, the Dark-Faced Brute, and the Bloody Executioner—are all Black Prison fighters."

As the two conversed while watching the matches, one of the fighters currently in the ring happened to be a lackey under Chen Xianli. However, the subordinate's situation looked grim. His opponent was a henchman of Boss Bao, and the rival fought with ruthless brutality, pushing Chen Xianli's man to the brink of collapse.

*Blow!*

"Li Chunsheng—"

Chen Xianli's subordinate collapsed. The referee stepped into the ring, blew the whistle, and then raised Li Chun's arm while the fallen underling was carried away by others.

Listening to Boss Chen's introduction, Ye Fei nodded. He looked toward the ring and asked, "Who is Boss Bao fielding tonight?"

"The Leopard. Aside from the Crippled Wolf, he is the strongest fighter under Old Bao. The Crippled Wolf was crippled by you and can't fight anymore, so they've switched to fielding the Leopard tonight," Chen Xianli explained.

"Don't bother looking for him. A fighter of the Leopard's caliber doesn't sit in the regular waiting area like ordinary contestants; they all have private resting rooms."

Ye Fei thought for a moment and said, "I remember you saying that if a fighter suddenly withdraws and lacks the required matches, they can register on the spot and enter the tournament immediately, right?"

Chen Xianli was momentarily stunned before nodding. "Yes, and if additional matches are added, participants can also sign up right on the spot."

Ye Fei's gaze swept across the venue, searching for a fighter scheduled to compete tonight. However, this was his first time in the Black Prison; he didn't recognize a single soul, let alone any fighters. After scanning the area once, he had no choice but to give up for the moment.

"What are you looking for?" Chen Xianli asked with a puzzled expression.

"Who is the Leopard's opponent tonight?" Ye Fei inquired.

Chen Xianli scanned the arena and pointed toward a specific section. "Most of tonight's fighters are waiting over there to be called. The Leopard's potential opponents are all in that group. Wait, that's not right. Two people are missing—both of whom are scheduled to face the Leopard tonight. One belongs to the Thirteenth Blade, and the other is one of my men."

"What? Are you planning to step into the ring and fight the Leopard?" Chen Xianli asked in astonishment.

Ye Fei nodded and said calmly, "I won't be staying in this prison for long, so I need to start settling scores with them. Tonight, I'll take a small interest payment using the Leopard!"

Chen Xianli hesitated. "If you want, I can have someone notify my fighter to withdraw from tonight's matches so that you can take his place."

Ye Fei flatly refused. "No need. First, he cannot withdraw without a valid reason, and I wouldn't want to make things difficult for your men. Second, if your man directly pulls out and I step in, you will also be implicated if anything happens to the Leopard."

"Very well. There is still one opponent of the Leopard who hasn't arrived in the waiting area yet. I'll help you find him so you can take his slot," Chen Xianli was a sharp man and understood Ye Fei's reasoning immediately. He nodded and resumed scanning the crowd.

Just then, someone walked in through the entrance of the Black Prison.

"Ye Fei, the guy who just came in through the entrance, the one wearing blue clothes—that's the Leopard's opponent for tonight," Chen Xianli said.

Ye Fei casually turned his head and saw a prisoner in blue stepping into the hall, accompanied by several companions.

*Whoosh!*

*Thud!*

Without a trace of emotion, Ye Fei flicked an iron nail forward. Fortunately, these fighters all walked barefoot; otherwise, Ye Fei's nail might not have pierced the man's sole so easily.

"Ah—" the blue-clad prisoner shrieked in pain.

"Brother Wu, what's wrong?" several companions beside the blue-suited man asked anxiously.

"Ah! My foot!" the man groaned in agony.

An iron nail had driven straight into the sole of his foot, embedding itself entirely. Blood oozed out, and until it healed properly, even walking would be a major problem.

"Damn it, how did a nail end up here?"

"Brother Wu has a boxing match coming up soon! There's no way he can fight now."

The blue-robed man's companions muttered in frustration.

A high-ranking official sitting in the upper tier frowned as he glanced toward the blue-clad man's group. He motioned a prison guard over and said with displeasure, "Causing such a racket—what kind of behavior is that? Don't disturb the guests watching the match. Throw them out."

Promptly, the blue-clad man and his companions were chased out of the Black Prison by the guards.

"Haha, let's go register!" Ye Fei chuckled.

"Alright," Chen Xianli answered, staring at Ye Fei in amazement. He hadn't noticed Ye Fei making any suspicious movements earlier; the man had simply stood right beside him, yet by some unknown means, he had caused the blue-clad man to be crippled by a nail.

Chen Xianli found himself understanding Ye Fei less and less. He felt his own world was far too small, filled with realms he had never touched upon. Yet he believed that within those fiercely stratified worlds, Ye Fei must undoubtedly be an extraordinary figure.

"I actually thought about resisting Ye Fei earlier. How naive of me," Chen Xianli thought to himself. "The more I interact with him, the more terrifying I realize he is, and the harder he is to deal with."

As a newcomer, Ye Fei would normally not have been qualified to register in the Black Prison. However, backed by Chen Xianli's recommendation and a hefty offering of benefits, Ye Fei successfully secured a slot to compete. He took over the blue-clad man's position to battle the Leopard.

"Ye Fei, since you're preparing for the match now, I can't stay with you. Go wait in the contestant area, and I'll watch from the stands," Chen Xianli said before parting ways with Ye Fei and heading into the spectator seating.

Ye Fei briefly stepped away to change into a fighter's uniform provided by the Black Prison, and then took his seat in the contestant waiting area.