Chapter 280: The Blood Matrix
Xia Fei put away Chasing Light and slowly walked toward Skyhook. "I only want to know one thing: How much did Li Mo give you?"
His voice was not loud, but it was very penetrating. Humans would either be depressed or fight with all their might in a difficult situation. Xia Fei happened to belong to the latter. As long as there was a glimmer of hope, he would not give up.
Hook smiled without saying a word, tapping his hand on the seat rhythmically. "Speaking of which, the person who contacted me is indeed related to Li Mo. As for whether it's him or not, you should know better than me. You're a smart man, so you should know who you've offended."
* Whoosh! *
All of a sudden, hundreds of pulsed lasers shot out from all around Xia Fei, surrounding him in the middle. Xia Fei had seen such a situation before, and the temperature of the lasers was not something he could withstand. He glanced at it and dismissed the idea of trying to force his way through.
"By the way, I've always enjoyed watching people fight to the death. I heard that you're a high-rank speed ability user, so I'll arrange for the best fighter to duel with you later. If you win, you might be able to live a little longer. Consider this your last chance," Hook said with a smile. "That's right.
Xia Fei was silent. This was obviously a trap, and he could not think of any good ideas at the moment, so all he could do was to take it one step at a time.
The beautiful white marble floor suddenly parted, revealing a secret chamber. There was nowhere else to stand, so Xia Fei had no choice but to step in.
…
The walls of the underground passage were sealed by a thick alloy, and even Chasing Light could not break it. Xia Fei tried to break it, but it did not work, so he continued forward.
"What should we do now?" Phantom asked anxiously.
"This is a trap that they've already set up. We can only take it one step at a time. I don't believe that everything is under their control. We'll try to leave as soon as there's a flaw," Xia Fei said.
"Should we inform the Assassin Sect? After all, you're a representative of the sect and Shadowless's secret disciple. Grandmaster Craneshadow might really send someone over for your sake," Phantom said.
Xia Fei said, "I've already informed them."
"When? Why didn't I notice? "
"When I removed Chasing Light from the wall, you were observing your surroundings."
Phantom nodded. With Xia Fei's hand speed, it was indeed possible for him to send a message without being detected.
"The Assassin Sect can only be considered a backup plan. It won't be easy for them to get here because even I don't know where this place is."
"Then what did you say?"
Xia Fei smiled and did not answer him. Phantom was somewhat displeased as he followed Xia Fei down this underground passageway.
The passage was very long. Xia Fei tried to break the walls along the way, but he did not succeed.
In the distance, the sky gradually brightened. Life was bustling, but no one knew why they were so noisy.
Xia Fei curiously walked a few steps to the end of the passageway. All he saw was a huge circular field. The ground was made of heavy alloy, and there was a net made of interwoven laser launchers above his head. Two bare-chested warriors were currently engaged in a bloodbath. Tens of thousands of spectators were eating popcorn as they watched this cruel and bloody battle, completely immersed in it.
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Xia Fei was suddenly reminded of the Colosseum in ancient Rome. It was just that this place was a little more advanced.
Lighting a cigarette, Xia Fei stood next to the laser fence to watch the battle between the two fighters. There were many similar fences on both sides, except that the one Xia Fei was standing in could lead to Hook's nest.
To his right was a middle-aged man with a cold gaze. He was tall and had bronze skin. His body was covered in scars. He was holding a peach in his hand, munching on it as he watched.
"The fat one is going to win." The middle-aged man did not look at Xia Fei, muttering to himself.
Xia Fei smiled. "That may not be the case."
The middle-aged man curiously turned to look at Xia Fei. He then continued to watch the intense battle. "I still insist on my opinion. That skinny man's left leg is injured, so his movement speed is greatly reduced. If a person's leg is not convenient for defense, they will not have the strength to do so. Look, he's already at a disadvantage."
Xia Fei said, "Being at a disadvantage doesn't necessarily mean that he will lose. The skinny man's eyes are filled with fighting spirit, while the fat man is fighting for the sake of fighting. The two have different attitudes, so the outcome might not follow the same pattern."
The middle-aged man sneered. "The skinny man was just sent to the Blood Matrix yesterday. If he can live for a few more days, his eyes will become the same as everyone else's."
"If that's the case, the skinny man will still win even if he loses," Xia Fei said.
"What's the reason for that?"
"If a person has no hope and becomes a walking corpse, what's the point of living? If the skinny man loses, he can die before his fighting spirit wears off. It will be a worthy death. On the other hand, the person who survives will have to continue living a life worse than death, so even if he loses, it will still be a win. "
The middle-aged man frowned. "Does that mean that the skinny man will win no matter what the outcome is? What kind of logic is that? "
"The truth," Xia Fei said as he blew out a ring of smoke.
The middle-aged man burst into laughter. "Bullsh * t. I think it's obviously twisted logic."
With that, he extended his right hand while laughing. Since there was a laser fence between them, he could only pretend to shake hands.
"Butcher."
"Xia Fei."
The two men strangely shook hands in the air, and that was how they got to know each other. Xia Fei retracted his arm and continued watching the match. The balaclava-wearing fatso stabbed the scrawny man's shoulder blade, and with that, the outcome was already decided.
The fatso raised his arms and roared at the side of the ring. Tens of thousands of people shouted in unison, "Kill him! Kill him! "
The skinny man fell to the ground, his face ashen.
…
It was like a rehearsed script. The bulky warrior did his best to show off, exaggeratedly acting like a victor. He then used the blade in his hand to chop off the loser's head. The tens of thousands of spectators reached their climax as blood sprayed several meters high. Satisfied, they retreated with laughter.
Xia Fei sat cross-legged on the ground, smoking one cigarette after another. "That fatso sure is excited. Didn't he think that one day, he, too, would be decapitated?"
Butcher nonchalantly said, "Everyone here understands that, but if you do as you're told, you'll be able to enjoy a sumptuous meal. You've just arrived, so if you starve for a few days, you'll learn that a piece of bread is far more important than a few lives. As for dignity and glory, they're all bullshit."
Xia Fei did not say anything. In a place like this, the beastly nature of humans was completely exposed. Any sort of ethics and morals were just useless empty talk.
"We'll be fighting soon," Xia Fei softly said.
Butcher glanced at Xia Fei's Chasing Light and spatial ring. "Your things aren't bad. I'll take good care of them for you."
"Thank you." Xia Fei said, "Just from your name, I thought Butcher would be a savage fellow. I didn't think you'd be able to maintain your rationality in a place like this."
Butcher shook his head. "Crazy people are long dead. It's precisely because I'm clear-headed that I'm able to live to this day. Of course, I'll be crazier than anyone else when I need to be. It's just that I'm resting now, so there's no need for that."
Butcher raised his head and looked at the sun in the sky with eyes filled with longing. To him, who was deeply immersed in this situation, freedom was like a life-saving potion, something that he could only hope for but not touch.
"Back then, I walked out of that tunnel just like you. Hook's room is pretty good, and no one has ever been able to escape from it. You're not the first to be lured here by him, but it's been many years since I've seen someone remain calm after being set up. Perhaps that's why I'm telling you so much," Butcher said.
Xia Fei let out a self-deprecating laugh. "Looks like I'm not the first to be set up. Shouldn't I be happy?"
Butcher replied, "I don't care what you think. I only know one thing: tonight will be a duel to the death. Between you and me, only one can survive. I don't think anyone will give up on the chance to live. I'm glad to have met you, but let's call it a day for now. I guarantee that you'll have a decent ending. Though it might not be honorable, I'll at least make it a little easier for you."
With that said, Butcher stood up and walked to his bed. It was a narrow alloy bed, slightly better than the beds of the others because there was a green military blanket on it.
Xia Fei thought about it for a moment before smiling. "I don't think you can sleep right now. Since I'm going to die by your hands anyway, why don't you tell me more about Hook?"
Butcher turned around so that his back was facing Xia Fei. "You're wrong. I can still sleep even if it's the end of the world. Besides, there's a surveillance system here, so there's no point in talking too much. You're about to die, but I still need to live."
Xia Fei lit a cigarette and said, "Can't a beer help you sleep for a few minutes?"
Butcher was slightly taken aback. "Heh, I really can't refuse a bottle of beer."
…
The situation was very absurd. A person nicknamed Butcher was actually as calm as a surgeon. What was even more absurd was that two people who were about to engage in a life-and-death battle were actually sharing a bottle of beer a few hours before the final battle.
Because Xia Fei had just been locked up, his equipment and ring had not been taken away, so he still had quite a bit of food on him. He opened a bottle of beer and used his hand to cover the mouth of the bottle. He shook it vigorously a few times, loosening the lid a little, and the golden-yellow liquid of the beer gushed out.
Butcher's mouth was wide open through the laser fence, greedily devouring every drop of the liquid. Although most of it was burned into mist by the laser, there was still a small portion that ended up in Butcher's mouth.
Using his sleeve to wipe his mouth, Butcher laughed heartily. "Awesome! It's been many years since I've had a beer. I never thought that I'd be able to enjoy myself today. Do you have more? Again! "
…
Hook was sitting in his seat, watching Xia Fei and Butcher's every move.
"Lord Hook, Butcher and Xia Fei seem to be getting along quite well. Should we separate them? It won't be good if it affects the quality of tonight's match," one of Hook's subordinates suggested.
Hook smiled. "What do you know? The better they get along, the more enjoyable it will be when they fight to the death. I just love the feeling of being separated by life and death. What a pity. If we had the time, we should've let them spend a few more days together, waiting until they're as close as real brothers before letting them fight to the death. That's what I call satisfying. It's too bad that the higher-ups are rushing us, or else it would've been a great show."
Hook's subordinates were speechless. The hobby of watching brothers kill each other was truly cruel. Perhaps it was precisely because of this that Hook was the boss, while he would always be a small follower.
"Should we put away Xia Fei's weapon?" Hook's subordinate asked.
"No need." Hook was unconcerned. "Do you think he can break through the laser defense formation? Let's just let him stay for two more days. "
"You're right, Lord Hook. We spent a lot of money to set up this laser defense array back then. Countless souls have died to this array over the years, and Xia Fei doesn't have the ability to do so." The underling hastily buttered up.
Hook glared at him. "Souls my ass. I spent so much money to build this Blood Matrix. It's not wrong for those people to die!"
…
After a few beers, Butcher still looked like he had not had enough. Unfortunately, Xia Fei no longer had any beer with him. He licked his lips and said, "I'll naturally satisfy your curiosity after drinking your beer. Ask me any questions you have, but if you want me to go easy on you, then forget it."
Xia Fei replied, "I'm not that insensible. Besides, it's hard to say who will win if we really fight. I just got here, and I'm very interested in Hook. "
"Hook is his nickname. Everyone here calls him Skyhook. As for his real name, no one knows. From what I know, he should be the biggest drug and entertainment supplier in the Alliance. Everyone on this planet works for him, helping him produce and process drugs."
"Entertainment supplier?" Xia Fei curiously asked. "Why would a drug dealer be associated with the entertainment industry? That's weird. "
Butcher pointed at the huge venue outside. "Isn't this entertainment? What could be more exciting than watching people kill each other? This building is called the Blood Matrix. The audience you see are actually insignificant people. Their existence is just to add to the atmosphere.
"As long as you have the money, you can watch the real life fights here through the interplanetary internet. Of course, the signal has been transferred and encrypted, so no one can find this place through the signal. You can say that Hook is God on this planet. No one can leave this place. Even if he brings you here and lets you leave, you won't be able to find him the next time."
The interplanetary internet was like a highway. The toll station was only responsible for collecting fees, not what was in the carriage. Therefore, there was no end to using the internet to spread all kinds of erotic and violent information. Although Starlink Corporation would investigate some of the unconventional content, the advanced encryption technology made the operators helpless.
The current encryption algorithm was as high as 1.28 million bits. Even the most powerful supercomputer would need decades to crack it. By the time the algorithm was cracked, the criminals would have already switched to a stronger encryption system.
"Has no one tried to escape after so many years?" Xia Fei asked.
"Of course, someone will try. Someone will do it every once in a while, but I've never heard of anyone succeeding," Butcher said.
Xia Fei said, "Even the strongest laser needs to be fired from a laser emitter. Even if they can't destroy the laser itself, they can at least try to destroy the laser emitter. Besides, such a large system will often need maintenance."
Butcher said, "It's not that simple. The laser emitters are all hidden in the building. Unless someone can destroy the thick alloy walls, there's no way they can threaten the emitters. The Blood Matrix is divided into many different units. It's maintained every few days, but only one unit is maintained. The other units are still on, so it doesn't affect the defense.
"I wonder which company produced this system. The quality is a little too good. I've been here for a few years, and apart from the normal maintenance, I've never seen any malfunctions."
Xia Fei was silent. It would not be easy to get out of this place if that was the case.
"More importantly, the hearts of the people are not united. At its peak, the Blood Matrix once housed thousands of soldiers. It should have been a powerful force, but these people are not united. None of them is willing to lead everyone to escape."
"There's no way to get out of this place other than sacrificing themselves. A group of warriors must first sacrifice their lives to destroy the defense system. Only then can the rest escape. Unless someone is willing to sacrifice their life for someone else's freedom, there's no chance," Butcher said.
"Thousands of warriors? Where did Hook find thousands of warriors to sacrifice their lives for him? "Xia Fei asked.
"You've been to Hook's house. Don't you understand? He'll use high salaries or other things as bait to lure warriors to work for him. Once these people arrive on this planet, they'll never be able to leave. It doesn't matter how high your cultivation is. He'll pretend to invite you to a banquet in the living room that you came from. There are several hidden laser systems in the living room. You'll be sent to the Blood Matrix as soon as you enter any one of them. Even if you don't want to participate in the duel, it's not up to you because your opponents are already numb to it. They just want to live a few more days by killing people. "
Butcher's voice was a little hoarse, and his eyes were wandering.
Xia Fei said, "You're talking about your own experience, right?"
Butcher nodded. "That's right." He smiled bitterly. "If I hadn't been greedy and accepted Hook's contract, things wouldn't have turned out this way."
Xia Fei did not say anything. He lightly drew a few words on the ground with his finger. As a martial artist, Butcher had sharp eyes. He quickly noticed something unusual.
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