Chapter 119 - 117: Underground Fighting
Blair Golding raised an eyebrow noncommittally. "I’m not the type to hide things. If you want to be my friends, then I’ll show you the real me."
As she spoke, she led Cecilia Sterling and Estelle Goodman to two empty seats and settled them in. "You two just sit tight here. The drinks in the fridge by the wall are free. The restroom is at the end of the leftmost corridor. This place is crawling with cameras and anti-camera scanners, so don’t take any pictures with your phones, got it?"
Cecilia Sterling nodded, and Estelle Goodman followed with a mechanical nod.
Blair glanced at the time again. "I’m out of time. I have to go."
Cecilia Sterling suddenly grabbed Blair’s wrist, her brow furrowed with worry. "Are you sure you’ll be okay?"
Blair looked at her and shook her head. "It’s fine. The rules say everyone who comes in has to bet, but I’ll put in a word for you two. You won’t get dragged into this, don’t worry."
"I’m not talking about that." Cecilia Sterling looked her in the eye and said seriously, "I’m talking about *you*. Will *you* be okay?"
Blair Golding froze for a moment. Their eyes met, and she saw the undisguised concern and worry in Cecilia Sterling’s gaze.
After a moment, she turned her head away and let out a soft laugh. "Don’t worry. I’ll be fine."
Seemingly short on time, Blair Golding pulled her wrist free and walked away quickly without looking back, but the worry in Cecilia Sterling’s eyes didn’t fade.
At that moment, two fighters were battling it out in the fighting ring. The surrounding crowd, as if high on adrenaline, screamed and cheered excitedly. Both fighters were burly, muscular men, and by now, their faces were bruised and swollen, with blood spattering everywhere.
’But Blair... she’s a girl!’
"Cecilia, let’s... let’s go."
Estelle Goodman seemed to finally snap out of her daze. She gripped Cecilia Sterling’s arm, her face a mask of nervous fear. "I’m a little scared. Are they... are they going to beat someone to death?"
Before Cecilia Sterling could react, a man in a suit sitting nearby suddenly spoke up with a smile. "First time here, young lady? Don’t worry, this fighting ring has been around for over a decade and no one’s ever been killed. The referees and fighters are all professionals."
Hearing this, Cecilia Sterling quickly asked, "Sir, do you come here often? Is this an underground fight club? For illegal betting?"
The man looked at Cecilia Sterling with interest. He gave a slight smile and gestured with his chin toward a spot behind her. "See over there? That’s for online betting."
Cecilia Sterling turned around and saw an area in the back with eight computers set up in a row. Staff members in suits and headsets were all focused intently on their work.
"The live betting is over there." The man pointed in another direction. "Since it’s your first time, I wouldn’t recommend betting blindly. You can just bet on a popular fighter to increase your chances of winning."
Cecilia Sterling understood.
The driver of the van had said, "Everyone who goes in has to participate. It’s the rule." He must have meant participating in the betting.
But underground betting was illegal, which was why Blair said she would put in a word for them so they wouldn’t get involved.
Just then, a huge roar erupted from the crowd.
A match had ended. The red corner was victorious.
The big screen showed the winner, clearly displaying his record: 12 wins, 10 losses. The betting odds were 1 to 6.
In other words, anyone who bet on this man to win would earn six times their wager.
"Sigh. Another Taekwondo versus kickboxing match. They just trade wins back and forth. It’s boring."
The man complained and shook his head, his tone laced with boredom.
This piqued Cecilia Sterling’s curiosity again. "Sir," she asked, "aren’t the matches grouped by fighting style? Why would Taekwondo be pitted against kickboxing?"
"That’s the fun part. There are no style divisions. The matchups are decided completely by drawing lots, so there are a lot of uncertain factors. After all, there are so many fighting styles in the world. You might be able to beat one, but that doesn’t mean you can beat another."
"What about gender? Aren’t male and female fighters separated?" Cecilia Sterling pressed.
The man nodded. "Of course not. There aren’t many female fighters to begin with, so the chances of two being drawn together are extremely small. In any case, I’ve never seen two women assigned to the same match."
When Cecilia Sterling heard this, her heart sank.
Estelle Goodman understood now too. She looked at Cecilia Sterling anxiously. "Cecilia, let’s go! We have to get Blair and leave! No matter how much she needs the money, she can’t do this. It’s too dangerous!"
But before Cecilia Sterling could say a word, the sound of a gong, accompanied by the cheers of the audience, once again thundered through the venue.
The announcer, microphone in hand, passionately declared the start of the next match. When Blair’s name left the announcer’s lips, both Cecilia Sterling and Estelle Goodman instinctively straightened their backs.
"It’s over. Blair’s about to go on!" Estelle Goodman murmured.
Cecilia Sterling’s palms began to sweat.
The man beside them, however, looked at the two and asked with a smile, "Are you fans of Blair? I bet on her today, too!"
But at that moment, they couldn’t hear his words at all, nor any of the other sounds in the venue. All they could hear was the THUMP THUMP THUMP of their own hearts.
Before long, the blue corner’s fighter entered first.
He was a muscular man around six feet tall, wearing only a pair of blue shorts, massive gloves on his hands, and a mouthguard. Judging by his gear, it was easy to tell he was a professional Boxer!
’With the height difference and the natural gap in strength between men and women, how could Blair possibly win against a man like that?’
Soon, from the red corner, Blair also walked out slowly from the other locker room. She wore a tight tube top and form-fitting shorts. She had no gear on at all—a clean and simple look.
But looking at her attire, Cecilia Sterling couldn’t tell what martial art she practiced.
The moment Blair appeared, Estelle Goodman couldn’t help but start to tremble. "Cecilia, what do we do? Can Blair really do this?"
Cecilia Sterling had been just as nervous as Estelle Goodman, but when she saw the fearless look in Blair’s eyes, she felt a strange surge of confidence, as if infected by her friend’s bravery.
"Let’s hope so," Cecilia Sterling murmured.
The fighters from the red and blue corners clasped their fists in salute. Blair brought one fist to her open palm, her posture ramrod straight. In that moment, the aura she projected made Cecilia Sterling understand.
’The style Blair was using... was Cathay Martial Arts!’
The gong sounded, and the match began!
The crowd stirred with excitement. Cecilia Sterling and Estelle Goodman unconsciously shot up from their seats, their eyes glued to the action in the ring, not daring to blink.
The Boxer from the blue corner struck first, trying to seize the initiative. He swung his arm in a wide arc, his fist whistling through the air as it shot toward Blair’s face. He showed no sign of holding back just because his opponent was a woman.
Seeing this, Cecilia Sterling and Estelle Goodman instinctively squeezed each other’s hands, their breath catching in their throats. But Blair simply tilted her head slightly and easily dodged her opponent’s full-force blow!