The massive, flame-red wild boar went berserk. It slammed its muscled bulk again and again into the reinforced iron cage. The metal groaned and rattled under the repetitive impact. Xiao Dou had to flap her heavy wings hard to climb up the wire mesh.
She clutched the cold, rusted metal tightly with her claws as she watched that crazed beast crash around in the dirt below. The sight was terrifying; it was enough to frighten any common chicken to death. But then the hen thought about the rich, salty taste of braised pork ribs. Suddenly, courage flooded her little, feathered body.
That's right—this time, Xiao Dou made the first move.
The boar screamed, a high-pitched and piercing sound. It continued to ram the cage for a good ten minutes before finally collapsing with a loud, hollow thud. The audience members cursed their mothers and fathers in sharp frustration.
Once again, to everyone's disbelief, Xiao Dou—the chicken everyone swore couldn't win—actually won. The man who had sworn to twist his own head off if the chicken won slunk away quietly into the shadows. No one could understand it. How did such fierce beasts lose to a mere chicken every single time?
The sixth match was against a Komodo dragon. It was ranked eighth among the noble pets in the black market arena. Its attack power was even deadlier than the wild boar's. The key issue was size; the Komodo dragon was three meters long from its flicking tongue to the tip of its thick tail. This wasn't some wild boar whose eyes could be easily pecked out. That trick wouldn't work anymore.
The moment the Komodo dragon was brought out, everyone in the stands knew it was over.
By now, Xiao Dou's fighting style was no mystery. After five straight wins, everyone had seen through her little pattern. Sure, she was unique, but there are limits to what a chicken can do. Even if the Komodo dragon just stood there with its yellow, slit eyes closed, how the hell could a chicken possibly kill it?
Komodo dragons were apex predators with thick, pebbled scales. They're known as Komodo dragons for a reason. They had multiple attack methods; they could use their heavy tails as a pillar to stand upright and they tore through prey with sharp, serrated claws. Worse yet, they're viciously venomous. If you got bitten by those bacteria-ridden teeth, you're as good as dead.
The host looked regretful as he adjusted his silver microphone. In truth, the black market never allowed outsiders to break the sacred "Ten Wins of Life and Death." That title was part of their own propaganda; it's a money-making machine.
Every now and then, they would stage a ten-win event. They tweaked the results behind the scenes to suck all the black market coins from desperate mercenaries and commoners. Then they would flood the system with new tasks to keep the economy under strict control.
In short, the 98% of mercenaries and poor folk kept grinding missions to generate wealth for the 2% of nobles. Those nobles lived in luxury and amused themselves with pet battles. They conveniently recycled black market coins to prevent inflation or anyone hoarding too much wealth to trade for supplies.
With Xiao Dou's current strength, Jing Shu wasn't sure if the hen could handle the raw power of a Komodo dragon. To play it safe and save time, she tossed a cold, metal handgun into the dusty cage before the match started.
"Sir, this is the chicken's weapon," she said, her voice clear. "I requests to use it in combat."
Everyone stared in silence.
"What the hell does that mean?"
"You're telling me the chicken is going to shoot the Komodo dragon?" Xiao Hei asked. He sounded incredulous.
Jing Shu nodded.
The host burst out laughing. So did the crowd. A chicken with a gun? Even if it could pull the trigger, could it actually aim at anything?
As soon as the Komodo dragon entered the cage, it began swaying its massive, scaly body. It casually bit into the hyena's cold corpse lying nearby. It crunched through the bones like they're crackers. Xiao Dou trembled in the corner, clearly terrified. But thankfully, her owner had thrown in a gun. That thing, she was familiar with. Her owner pointed one at her all the time during their training sessions. She might not have eaten pork yet, but she sure had seen pigs run.
Xiao Dou propped the black handgun upright with her feathered wings. She gripped the trigger with her iron beak and took aim.
Jing Shu used her illusion magic to subtly guide Xiao Dou's angle from where she stood outside the bars.
Bang!
A deafening, sharp gunshot rang out in the enclosed space. Blood burst from the Komodo dragon's head. It howled in sudden pain and leapt up like a startled bird. Then came another shot. It was perfectly placed. The bullet pierced through its thick skull. The massive creature collapsed instantly. It was dead before its scaly belly hit the ground.
The battle ended so fast that people were still laughing. They're waiting to see the chicken's funny attempt at shooting. Their laughter froze midair.
Holy shit. It actually worked.
Once again, Xiao Dou had pulled off an absurd, impossible victory. The audience's experience was absolutely ruined.
The host swallowed hard. His voice was trembling. "My god... that's impossible!"
But it was real. Even after the black market staff combed through the dirt of the arena for tampering, they found nothing. The officials were already planning to report the incident. They hoped to change the rules. After all, if an animal can use guns, wouldn't that make it unbeatable?
Jing Shu glanced at the Komodo's corpse. She wondered if the meat would taste any good. The skin was probably tough; it's perfect for armor. She had the carcass dragged out. She stacked it beside the eagle, wild boar, leopard, wolf, and the Komodo dragon. The pile at her feet looked downright epic.
The seventh round was against a bison from the noble district. It was ranked sixth. The audience's confidence flared up again. The black market had clearly decided to fight back. Jing Shu rolled her eyes. "Why not just bring out an elephant next?"
"A handgun is useless against a bison," someone in the crowd muttered. "Even if it hits, it won't die right away. Damn it, that thing will gore the chicken before it can even aim!"
Most people bet on the bison again. They're like gamblers who refused to stop until they won. But Jing Shu's teammates, after seeing what she could do, quietly placed their money on her side. One look at her calm face told them she had another trick up her sleeve.
News of the "gun-wielding chicken" spread fast. Within minutes, the entire black market was buzzing. People flooded into the arena stalls. They're eager to witness this insane spectacle.
The bison was the largest opponent so far. Its horns could easily fling Xiao Dou sky-high. It took several men just to drag it into the iron cage. Then, as if to make it worse, a staff member slashed the bison twice with a sharp blade. They're deliberately enraging it. The moment it entered the ring, the atmosphere exploded. The beast snorted. It charged and thundered toward Xiao Dou like a freight train.
Could the bison kill Xiao Dou before she pulled the trigger?
The answer was no.
Just when everyone thought this nightmare farce was finally over, Jing Shu tossed something else into the cage: a heavy machine gun.
"You have got your horns, I have got my gun. Let's see who is more badass."
Everyone stared. There's probably something they shouldn't say here, but damn.
Then came the rhythmic tat-tat-tat-tat of the machine gun. There's no aiming required. The chicken just fixed it in place and fired away. Rounds of lead tore through the dusty air as the crowd screamed in terror. Stray rounds even hit some of the spectators through the gaps. It threw the arena into chaos again.
Xiao Dou seemed to have achieved enlightenment. Between Bull A and Bull C, only a badass weapon could end this fight.
Jing Shu clutched her chest. It wasn't from pain, but from heartbreak. It wasn't over the bullets wasted, but over the shredded, bullet-riddled carcass of the bison. She had heard that yak jerky was chewy and delicious once it was dried. She wondered if all those bullet holes would ruin the texture of the meat.
The nobles and audience alike were speechless. Their entertainment experience was absolutely terrible.