Players, Please Board the Train

Chapter 480: The Bloody Game

The club had more than one room. Xu Huo saw lights flash in sequence behind the seat of each person present. After a few seconds' interval, they lit up one by one a second time. Then, the room's audio system sounded:

"Congratulations to VIP number 17 for obtaining the drawing right. Next, buttons numbered one through ten will appear before you. Each button corresponds to a containment pod. Different types of Mutants are imprisoned within these pods, including carnivores deprived of food and water for over three days, newly evolved species that enjoy torturing their prey, and mutated Mutants in their mating season. You simply need to randomly select one from these ten buttons."

VIP number 17 was not in the same room as Xu Huo. A few seconds later, the result was announced, "VIP number 17 has selected containment pod number three. The performance is about to begin."

The voice began a countdown again. With each number heard, the woman in the holographic projection trembled, until the final "0." At that moment, a black shadow suddenly pounced from one side, directly stepping on the woman and slamming into the enclosed wall surrounding the stage!

Although the metal wall was dented by the impact, the woman was not injured. She used her hands and feet to firmly support the black panther that had pounced onto her—this was likely a mutated black panther. Its body size was only slightly larger than an ordinary leopard, but all its teeth had grown into sharp points, resembling two rows of small, serrated blades. Additionally, its canine teeth were abnormally long. When it roared, the corners of its mouth split, connected to its upper and lower jaws by a layer of pink, fleshy membrane, allowing its mouth to open to an extremely wide angle.

"Roar! Roar!" The black panther's sharp claws dug deeply into the woman's hands and feet. Because its neck was pinned by the woman's arm, no matter how wide it opened its jaws, it couldn't bite her throat.

"This should be that carnivore deprived of food and water," Palada said, swirling his wine glass. "Does it look like it's been starving for three days?"

"She's a C-level player, after all. Her physical strength is there. And to increase the spectacle, the club must have let her rest and recover her energy," Ran Ying chimed in. "What's the point if she gets bitten to death immediately?"

She was right. The woman on the stage indeed had good stamina. She quickly raised one foot to replace her hands in pinning the black panther's throat, then forcibly pulled her hands and feet free from its sharp claws. With a fierce flip, she landed on its back and applied a chokehold!

Ellison whistled. "This woman is good.""She won't last much longer. I've never seen a player outlast a carnivorous beast," Palada said with a laugh.

The black panther seemed stimulated by the scent of blood on its claws, and with the woman clinging to its back, it began retreating from the wall and frantically shaking its body, ramming into the wall again and again.

During this, the woman adjusted her position several times, but without the restraint of characteristics or items, and within a confined space, she soon carelessly had her left arm broken by the impact. She slid off the black panther's back.

"Rip!" The black panther turned its head and swiped a claw towards where she landed, tearing a deep, long gash through the flesh of the woman's arm and the ground along with it.

Fortunately, the woman rolled away quickly, avoiding the tragedy of having half her arm severed. However, before she could stand up, the black panther flipped her from behind again, tearing open her entire back.

"Tsk tsk, such a fine beauty, with a good figure too. What a pity."

As time passed, the guests in the room began to immerse themselves in this bloody performance. Every time the woman was injured, it elicited seemingly genuine or feigned sighs or excited cheers.

"How is this program?" Duke Tal asked Bai Kou. "Does it suit your taste?"

Bai Kou looked bored as she examined her nails. "It's just average."

Duke Tal wore an ingratiating smile. "It certainly can't compare to the games Madam played in the past. However, District 011 is a legal Game Partition. This is already one of the best programs within the partition."

"Is that so?" Bai Kou appeared uninterested. "A fight is only thrilling when both sides are evenly matched. What's the point of putting a woman with nothing inside? It's like a cat playing with a mouse. You can see the outcome at a glance."

"Madam makes a valid point. This is just an appetizer. There are more exciting ones to come," Palada said, turning around with a mysterious smile.

By now, the woman in the holographic projection had been bitten on the thigh by the black panther. With the sound of tearing flesh, her artery was ripped open, and blood sprayed out instantly.

The woman's screams echoed in the room, but they didn't last long before abruptly stopping, as the black panther had bitten through her windpipe.

What followed was a nauseating scene of feeding.

"Bravo!" Palada applauded and, using the button on his seat, tipped the club ten thousand White Bills.

The others also applauded. They stopped watching the black panther feed and instead began discussing the previous performance while enjoying fine wine and food.

"C-level players are just like that. Relying too much on characteristics and items leads to this kind of end."

"She actually lasted five minutes. I bet on three minutes when I placed my wager. So useless, making me lose money!"

"Haha! I warned you earlier. Don't underestimate female players. Female players' physical strength is generally inferior to male players, so those who survive often have to rely more on their abilities. Lasting five minutes isn't a problem."

...

A group of people gathered together, brazenly discussing a performance that defied humanity, and soon the second one would begin.

Xu Huo stood up, frowning as he walked out. Just as he was closing the door, he saw Palada and the others staring at him and heard someone mutter "coward."

After closing the door, he took out his lighter and lit a cigarette. Soon, a server walked over to inform him that smoking was not allowed in the corridor; he could return to his room or go to the designated smoking room.

Xu Huo went to the smoking room. At this time, it was empty. He stood by the window, letting the cigarette burn between his fingers.

When the cigarette was half gone, the smoking room door opened again. It was Ran Ying.

She looked at him with concern. "You look very pale. Are you alright?"

Xu Huo shook his head. "I'm having a bit of trouble adapting to that kind of setting."

Ran Ying sighed softly, leaning against the armchair nearest to him. Calmly, she said, "I don't like it either. But my work requires dealing with these people, so I have no choice but to come."

"Things like this exist in many Game Partitions. In some partitions, it's even legal. District 011 is still considered relatively good. The players the club finds are mostly Player-Eaters or wanted criminals. They also have the lives of many innocents on their hands."

Xu Huo expressed understanding and asked, "Are there many players among the nobility?"

"Among the true nobility, the number of players is also significant. They can have their qualifications checked in advance. Those suitable to become players are selected, while those with average qualifications are simply discarded, primarily responsible for producing offspring for the family," Ran Ying said with a hint of sarcasm. "Those you saw earlier, including Duke Tal, are all the same. True elite players wouldn't waste their time here."