Monkey didn't know whether he should speak slower or faster. Slow would mean more suffering under the needle, but fast might seem too rough for his raw skin. Ah Huang bared his teeth anxiously beside him, his tail tucked low as he worried for his master.
Meanwhile, Xiao Dou, that fat hen, kept sneaking over to peck at his yellow fur. The chicken seemed convinced that in this cold weather, a dog's fur was the best kind of warmth.
As for Jing Shu's freakish display yesterday; controlling bugs to devour two men's heads; no one asked her about it, but everyone knew what they had seen. After all, she had taken down four people by herself in that arena. Monkey, who was B+ tier, had barely survived a one-on-two and still got injured in the process. So what tier was Jing Shu, really?
Tank patted her shoulder with his massive hand. "Looks like we will have to ask the higher-ups to reevaluate your rank. We all know what you're capable of now."
Snake Spirit flicked his tongue, his eyes narrow. "Why not just mark her as an all-rounder? She is not quite at the captain's level, but close."
"Does a higher rank come with money?" she asked, her eyes narrowing as she looked at them. "If not, forget it."
"The only perk of a higher rank is special privileges. Once you reach S-tier or above, the government registers your file, and your identity is recognized nationwide."
"Oh." Jing Shu sounded disappointed.
Originally, she had planned to bring Xiao Dou to enter the pet battle contest, but because their last fight accidentally killed a bunch of spectators, the arena had emptied out. With half the people gone and no one left to gamble their coins, she decided to wait.
Tank went to the mission hall to check for high-paying jobs, Snake Spirit joined a solo match, Monkey went home to recover his strength, and Jing Shu, exhausted beyond reason, crashed in her room.
The next day, the team joined another group challenge. Their names had already spread through the humid underground black market. Not only were they strong enough to match A-tier mercenaries, but with a witch like Jing Shu commanding bugs, they were nearly untouchable. Unsurprisingly, no one wanted to challenge them. Not even the low-penalty matches didn't get any takers from the surrounding squads.
In the black market, A-tier mercenaries were already a big deal.
Other teams were out there killing each other in the arena, but no one dared go up against them.
Eventually, they stopped being picky. Instead of choosing specific missions, they just entered whatever match was available. The opposing team could decline, but that meant paying a 10% penalty. Two teams didn't have the money to pay, so they had no choice but to fight.
Both matches were downright bizarre, designed solely to satisfy the nobles' twisted tastes. The first one had six mini-games, and whoever won the most rounds would take the match.
The first game was a breath-holding contest in a dark, stagnant pool. Whoever stayed underwater the longest won.
Their opponents decided to win by knocking one of their own teammates unconscious and holding him under the water. Jing Shu worried Snake Spirit might drown, and Tank gave up that round. But Snake Spirit stayed underwater for a full five minutes and came out fine. Meanwhile, the unconscious guy on the other team suffocated and died in the silt. Snake Spirit even grinned and said, "Water snakes are born with a way to breathe underwater."
Uh, what, he has got gills now?
The next game was a slap duel. Two contestants took turns slapping each other in the face until one couldn't go on or passed out. Tank stepped up, took three hard slaps to his jaw, and knocked the other guy out cold after four. Game over.
The audience and nobles were disappointed. There was no tension, no excitement.
The third game was Jing Shu's turn: knife throwing. Each person threw ten knives, and whoever hit more would win. The target? Naturally, it was each other. This round was dangerous, but compared to the other games, this was the only one she was willing to do.
She admitted she was good with a bow but terrible at throwing knives. The other guy clearly had professional training. But, hey, the rules didn't say she had to throw from a distance, right?
The moment the match started, the man hurled knives at her face, aiming straight for her eyes. Jing Shu didn't hold back either. Using the small arena's tight space, she closed the gap fast. She beat him to death with her bare hands, laid his corpse flat on the ground, and threw all ten knives into him. Ten out of ten, dead center. Victory!
"Oh, those cunning Chinese," someone in the crowd muttered.
The game was supposed to be a thrilling exchange of blows; stab me once, I stab you once, see who is still standing at the end; but she had completely ruined it for the viewers.
The host was furious, but Jing Shu hadn't broken any rules. No one said killing your opponent before throwing was against the rules. So, begrudgingly, they declared her the winner. From then on, the referee specifically added a new rule: no killing before the knife throwing.
The audience and nobles were once again disappointed.
As the matches went on, it became obvious. Foreigners played by the rules. The Chinese found loopholes to win. Like exams; foreigners focused on getting the answers right, while the Chinese figured out how to get the answers right even when they didn't know them.
For Jing Shu's team, the end always justified the means.
The second round was even worse; it was so disgusting she didn't even want to think about it.
By the end of the day, they had only earned 3,000 black market coins. It wasn't great, but Tank suggested they find another way to make money later. Still, their popularity had skyrocketed, and with her new stash of coins, Jing Shu finally signed Xiao Dou up for the pet battle contest.
"Today, I'm betting every last coin I have got!"
When her teammates heard she was entering Xiao Dou in a pet fight, they were all curious. Monkey even looked tempted to join. After all, this was the only event that allowed gambling for the mercenaries.
"But pet battles don't allow refusals," Monkey said, his voice low. "It's all random matchups. If we're unlucky and draw that monster crocodile from the black market, we're screwed." That was his biggest worry.
Jing Shu had observed the event for two days. There were usually a dozen or more matches a day. When they ran out of pets, they would just throw in wild animals to fill the gaps. So the odds of facing a crocodile were slim; maybe one percent at best.
"Alright, I will bet 100 coins on your fat chicken," Tank said, taking out his money.
"I will put 500," Ling Ling murmured.
"I have got 50," Xiao Hei added, handing over his meal money. No one really knew what to think of Xiao Dou yet. But she had laid plenty of eggs lately, and yesterday she even pecked Ah Huang bloody. So she must have been pretty fierce, right?
"She is stronger than an ordinary chicken, that's for sure," someone said. That was about the general consensus.
Jing Shu grinned. "You only get one shot. Want to up your bets?"
"Fine, I will add 300," Monkey said, gritting his teeth. If the hen could bully Ah Huang, she had to have some fight in her.
Jing Shu didn't say another word. She put every single coin she had on the line. Her teammates stared, stunned. She just smiled, grabbed Xiao Dou, and headed into the arena.
The real show was about to begin.
"Xiao Dou, win this and I will give you an extra chicken leg."