In the deepest part of the fifty-sixth floor, past a chanical door, a large number of administrative staff walked about. They hurried back and forth, carrying thick stacks of docunts.
"The broadcasting agreent with Miku Star has expired! Urge them to pay up!"
"The Titanium Skeleton Company wants to sponsor Bone Crusher. They requested that he say their advertising slogan after his victory... The sponsorship fee is one million Star Coins..."
They conversed in low tones, occasionally casting discreet glances at Li Yu.
"Another E rank boxer..."
"He was received by Gugu. Not bad luck. Unlike Lulu, that guy from the Grey Knife rcenaries won't bring in much profit."
"His body is very clean. He isn't a chanical Cyborg. An Esper or a Genetic Warrior, perhaps?"
"..."
Snippets of conversation drifted into Li Yu's ears. A few golden-skinned Dallans even winked at him. They were a humanoid race known for their highly open and uninhibited cultural customs.
Gugu actually had a few acquaintances here. He skillfully patted the buttocks of a few female Goblins and led Li Yu deeper down the hall amidst their flirtatious giggles.
Even before reaching the gilded chanical door, Li Yu caught the scent of a rich, savory aroma.
The guards standing before the door wore visibly high-grade black armor covered in golden spots, resembling leopards. It was the Piercing Gold Leopard-Type Combat Armor. They blocked the pair's path.
"Wait," a cold voice commanded from within the helt.
"...I know you are very popular right now. After a few modifications from your sponsors, your strength is quite impressive, and you are no longer willing to be subservient to ..."
Muffled voices drifted from behind the door. One voice was deep and low, while the other sounded rather rebellious.
"You promised! As long as I fought fifty matches, you would let leave!"
"Yes... yes, I understand. You are very angry. Perhaps I did break my promise, but you must first listen to my explanation."
"And you shouldn't be so disrespectful to . You aren't even willing to call 'My Lord'!"
"Respect? You treacherous bas—"
"Bang!"
A muffled thud echoed out, followed by the chanical door humming open. A voice ordered, "Drag him out."
The guards outside stepped into the room and dragged out a corpse. The body bore quite a few chanical modifications. The most eye-catching was a pitch-black left arm, which did not look as ferocious as Hook Fang's chanical arm.
The arm was covered in fine, dense pores, and the center of its palm housed a thumb-sized black hole.
The corpse's eyes bulged with lingering fury, and a small puncture wound on its forehead seeped blood.
"Strip that black cannon arm off him. Tell his sponsor that the guy choked to death while eating."
Li Yu looked toward the source of the voice. Inside the dimly lit room, a massive desk was laden with an extravagant feast.
Behind the food sat a colossal shadow, its features obscured in the gloom. A cigar hung from its mouth, trails of smoke curling up from the glowing embers.
"The new boxer? Co in..." the gruff voice called out, accompanied by the thick aroma of food.
Gugu gestured for him to proceed, and Li Yu slowly walked inside.
"Sit..." A thick, sturdy arm reached out from the massive shadow, pointing at a chair in front of the desk. Traces of blood and so red and white matter still clung to its backrest.
Yet Li Yu did not hesitate in the slightest. He sat down directly, facing the luxurious spread of food that exuded an enticing array of colors and scents.
"I am the master of this place. You may call Tu Rui, the director of the Tyron Chamber of Comrce boxing arena."
"Greetings, Lord Tu Rui," Li Yu said with a nod. "My na is Li Yu."
"Haha..." Tu Rui burst into boisterous laughter. Li Yu felt the entire room shake.
"Care for a bite?" Another thick, heavily haired arm extended from the enormous shadow. Li Yu felt that the arm was thicker than his own head.
"No thank you, Lord Tu Rui." Li Yu shook his head. He had just eaten his fill monts ago.
Tu Rui did not press the issue. He grabbed a roasted suckling pig roughly the size of Li Yu's head, shoved it entirely into his mouth, and began to chew. The sickening crunch of shattering bones echoed constantly.
An entire pig in one bite!
"I know of you," Tu Rui mumbled through his food. "Thorn Fla has issued a wanted order for you on their intranet."
Li Yu listened quietly, showing no reaction. Packing him up and tossing him to Thorn Fla was likely beneath a figure like this.
"However, they are nothing but rats in the gutter, scavenging for scraps from the businesses that our Tyron Chamber of Comrce wouldn't even bat an eye at." Tu Rui sneered a few tis before muttering,
"Only the boss behind them is sowhat interesting..."
"Rest assured, as long as you work hard here, they won't dare touch a hair on your head."
The arrogant fool was making empty promises again. Li Yu naturally did not take him too seriously, but he still kept up appearances and expressed his gratitude. "Thank you, Lord Tu Rui."
"Haha..." Tu Rui's massive bulk quivered with mirth. "You are not like Black Cannon Gary. You understand the circumstances much better than he did. Am I asking for too much?"
"I rely demand respect. You respect , and I respect you."
"However," Tu Rui shifted the topic, "I have a thorny problem here. It would have been more suitable for Gary to handle it, but as you just saw with that guy..."
He sounded rather helpless, as if killing the man was sothing he had been forced to do against his will.
'Here it cos...' Li Yu narrowed his eyes slightly. He didn't know if this was a test given to every newcor, or if he just happened to be here by coincidence.
"Roarer Gore is the Tyron Chamber of Comrce's cash cow, and a treasure I value imnsely." Tu Rui blew a smoke ring, looking sowhat wistful.
"I nurtured him single-handedly. He is on the verge of securing his one-hundredth consecutive victory. It is a monuntal feat, and I am very gratified."
Li Yu simply watched him put on an act in silence. 'You think I believe you are happy about him leaving after a hundred wins?'
"But!" Tu Rui slamd his hand onto the desk. A gust of cold wind rushed toward Li Yu, carrying the acrid stench of smoke.
Half of Tu Rui's body leaned forward into the light. He wasn't human. He possessed pale blue skin covered in intricate war paint, and two fierce tusks protruded from his mouth.
He wore an oversized suit. A foul stench poured from his maw, and his spit nearly sprayed all over Li Yu's face.
"To think soone actually wants to stop him from securing his hundredth win! Those grey-skinned rats are simply despicable!"
Tu Rui spoke with righteous indignation, appearing exceedingly furious. Surprisingly, he was a Troll. Just like the Four-Ard Titan, Trolls were a dominant race in the interstellar realm; their adults naturally possessed D-rank strength.
"So, what do you need to do?" Li Yu stared at the two boar-like tusks. 'A half-blood Troll at that.'
"That guy Grey Spear wants to challenge Roarer Gore directly, but that's against the rules. He needs at least one victory to qualify."
Tu Rui leaned back into the shadows, his chair creaking ominously under his imnse weight. "As it happens, you are a newcor as well. You can utterly crush that loathso grey-skinned rat and make him crawl out of my territory with his tail tucked between his legs!"
"I wonder, what do you think?"
Li Yu locked eyes with the shadowy behemoth as thin wisps of smoke drifted between them.
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