There was zero thrill, zero excitement in the air. The fight was completely one-sided, a mechanical display of overwhelming firepower with no lingering tension. If it had been some desperate, close-combat brawl relying on pure skill, maybe that would be fine, but watching a chicken mowing things down with a machine gun was a dull spectacle. Hell, that was less exciting than watching someone sweep the floor.
And the worst part was that everyone lost money. Once profits got involved, the mercenaries went mad with a mix of greed and loss.
This wasn't a fair fight at all!
The bison barely made it halfway across the dusty arena before it was riddled with jagged holes, collapsing at Xiao Dou's feet. The proud hen stood tall in the settling dust, only missing a smoking gun and a pair of sunglasses to complete her boss pose.
"Refund! Refund!"
"Disqualified!"
The arena erupted in total chaos. The match had to be paused because too many people were protesting that Xiao Dou used a gun, calling it blatant cheating and demanding immediate refunds. They were even threatening to boycott the entire event.
But did the opinions of broke mercenaries matter? Of course not.
However, since this affected the black market's profits, the organizers had to take action. Soon, the host returned to the stage, announcing over the loud speakers, "Apologies, everyone. As of one minute ago, the black market has issued a new law. In pet battles, all handguns, machine guns, sniper rifles, and other firearms are now banned. They violate the balance of the game."
The crowd quieted down at the announcement. Everyone finally relaxed, pleased with the sudden decision.
Jing Shu clapped her hands together. "Nice. They actually changed the law for me. So all those previous rules about animals being allowed to use guns got thrown to the dogs, huh? Then let me ask, everything other than guns is still fair game, right?"
After confirming several times with the officials, the host nodded. "That's right. The black market isn't heartless. You can use knives, axes, or whatever else, as long as your chicken can handle it."
Jing Shu approached the cage, took back her pistol and the heavy machine gun, and handed Xiao Dou something mysterious. "Alright, no complaints then. Let's continue."
Heh, how naive they were.
The eighth round was against the second-ranked beast in the black market; a massive, prehistoric crocodile. Its jaws took up half its scaly body. Forget a chicken; even a grown human could be snapped in half in one quick bite.
Even with Xiao Dou wearing a steel helmet, once that crocodile bit down, it would be over. Its bite could crush metal like it was thin paper.
The audience was thrilled. Finally, their ace contender was up. Jing Shu nodded with satisfaction as she looked at the creature. She had heard crocodile skin made great leather, soft and smooth to the touch. She had owned a crocodile wallet once, and it had lasted for years.
This round drew crazy bets. Ninety-nine percent of people put their money on the crocodile. Without a machine gun, what could a chicken possibly do?
But when the crocodile lumbered in on its short legs and the gate slammed shut, the crowd roared like maniacs, eager to win back everything they had lost before.
Too bad, they were still too naive.
Because Xiao Dou pulled a hidden wire, revealing what was hidden under her wings; a grenade.
The fuse hissed to life with a sharp sizzle, and under Jing Shu's command, the hen threw it straight into the crocodile's open mouth. The beast instinctively bit down on the metal.
Boom!
The explosion rocked the entire arena, shaking the floorboards.
The crocodile's insides were blasted to bloody mush. Xiao Dou trembled in the shockwave, covered in gore, then licked herself clean. Huh, not bad. It tasted kind of good.
"What is there to waste about a crocodile?"
Xiao Hei blinked. He understood when she said pigs were a waste for their blood, or cows for their meat, but this time… "What is there to waste about a crocodile?"
"That skin, obviously. What a pity."
Xiao Hei immediately shuffled a few steps away from her. Damn, this woman was terrifying. After this mission is finished, he never wanted to deal with her again.
"Oh shit!"
"She cheated again! Grenades are illegal!"
"We demand the black market update the rules! She is exploiting loopholes!"
Meanwhile, the Chinese crowd in the stands became a whole other scene.
"We support you! We bet on you to win! Ten in a row, let's go!"
"Keep blowing them up! Blast those bastards to hell!"
Jing Shu turned around toward the sound. Wasn't that her group of Chinese middlemen? What a bunch of adorable lunatics.
The host was torn between frustration and glee at the rising stakes. Damn, these Chinese were wild. If this kept up, he might really pocket 2,000 black market coins tonight. "Well," he said reluctantly, "technically, the lady didn't break any rules. There's no clause saying pets can't use grenades."
The mercenaries exploded in rage. Even the nobles couldn't stay calm on their sofas. The host might have let it slide, but the fight had to be paused again for another meeting.
Jing Shu smirked, walked into the cage, and dragged out what was left of the crocodile; half intact, half minced meat. She added it to the growing pile of corpses by her feet. The sight made her grin. This haul was turning out to be seriously satisfying for her.
A moment later, the host announced regretfully, "Oh my god. For the first time in three years, the black market has revised the rules twice in one day. Effective immediately, all thermal weapons and external tools are banned in pet battles. That includes defensive gear and armor. It seems the Battle Chicken's streak ends here."
Their arena, their rules.
Jing Shu clapped again. "Excellent. So just to confirm; no external weapons or tools allowed at all, and the animals can only rely on their own natural abilities, right?"
"Unfortunately, yes," the host said with a tired sigh. "No armor, no guns, no equipment of any kind. Everything else is fine."
"Perfect. Don't go back on that, alright?" Jing Shu grinned.
The host blinked. Why would she say that? Shouldn't she be complaining about how unfair it was right now?
"I'm a law-abiding citizen," Jing Shu said cheerfully. "So I will just take my chicken's gear back."
She stripped Xiao Dou of her helmet and other gear, turning the massive hen into a bare, half-feathered bird.
Xiao Dou looked humiliated and furious. Being forced to stand naked in front of everyone? Where was her dignity?
Jing Shu whispered a few words to her, fed her some food and water, then stepped out of the cage. "Alright, we're ready."
"Don't mind me," the host said with pity in his voice. "Feed your chicken well. It might be her last meal." He shook his head and signaled for the match to begin.
"Next, the ninth round! The Battle Chicken versus the black market's giant, the almighty super python!"
The crowd erupted in cheers as the tension spiked. Several men carried in an enormous, heavy cage. Inside was a python over ten meters long, its body thick and muscular, easily big enough to swallow a human whole.