Chapter 100

Chapter 100

“What?”

Huang Zezhong followed the direction of Qin Ying’s finger. He narrowed his eyes and searched for a while before finally spotting a dark, pitch-black lump inside the cage.

It was a half-grown black mutt, curled up in the corner of the cage, so small and still that no one could tell if it was alive or dead.

The moment everyone’s eyes turned toward it, the mother dog caught in the wire snare suddenly mustered all her strength and let out a muffled whimper.

She was only a small dog, her neck no wider than the span between an adult’s thumb and forefinger.

The wire had bitten deep into her flesh and tightened, cinching her neck like the mouth of a drawstring pouch. She couldn’t make a proper sound at all.

Blood choked out of the dog’s nose. All four of her paws flailed desperately toward the little black dog Qin Ying was pointing at.

The sight made everyone’s chest feel tight.

Yin Minmin took a step forward, wanting to stop them. Lin Yicheng said uncomfortably, “Is that her pup? That’s enough. Don’t make more bad karma for yourselves.”

At that, Huang Zezhong looked at Lin Yicheng in surprise.

Qin Ying turned her head and, from an angle Huang Zezhong and the other man couldn’t see, gave Lin Yicheng a meaningful look.

She was signaling for him to buy the mother dog as well.

Whether Lin Yicheng understood Qin Ying’s meaning or not, before Huang Zezhong could speak, he pulled out his phone. “Both of them together. Two hundred thousand.”

Huang Zezhong, who had still been about to say they weren’t for sale, immediately shut his mouth.

Even the man holding the dog-catching pole clicked his tongue and loosened his grip.

“This… may not be appropriate,” Huang Zezhong said, though even as he spoke, he was already jerking his chin to signal for them to put the dog down.

The man with the snare said sourly, “These two beasts sure got lucky. Two little village mutts, and they’re worth more than some famous breeds.”

He lowered the dog-catching pole, put on thick leather gloves, and went to grab the half-grown pup in the corner of the cage.

Then he lifted it out by its hind legs.

Under the dim yellow ceiling light, everyone finally saw it clearly. What little black dog? Half of its body had clearly been burned black.

The puppy must have originally had a speckled coat, but the entire right side of its body was burned into a black crust. Combined with the poor lighting, it had looked like a black dog.

Disappointment flickered through Qin Ying’s heart. It seemed this one was not the target they were looking for.

Still, they were already very close.

The burned half of the puppy carried the smell of sulfur.

Lin Yicheng’s brows knitted tightly together. “How did it get burned like this?”

As he spoke, his fingers swiped across his phone, and he transferred the promised two hundred thousand to Huang Zezhong.

Faced with someone this rich, foolish, and trustworthy, the man with the snare’s attitude improved considerably. He explained, “It was perfectly fine yesterday. Who knew we’d come in this morning and find it like this for no reason?”

“The whole litter was burned to a crisp. This is the only one left.”

“Maybe… there was an electrical short.”

He came up with an excuse he thought sounded plausible.

But Qin Ying, Yin Minmin, and Zhang Lang all knew the problem might very well lie with that litter of burned puppies.

The burned puppy and its mother were placed separately into another cage.

Qin Ying signaled for Zhang Lang to take it, but Huang Zezhong said, “How could we hand them over to you in such a filthy state? If they die the moment you step out, it’ll ruin our reputation. Please, everyone, wait on the second floor. Once we’ve cleaned them up, we’ll bring them to you.”

“Since you all don’t seem particularly impressed by the fighting dogs upstairs, why not wait a bit longer? Once the official fights begin later, there will be even fiercer dogs available for auction.”

Lin Yicheng had paid the two hundred thousand so readily that his image as a fool with more money than sense was even more deeply cemented.

Only then did Huang Zezhong temporarily reveal another piece of information: there would be a special session on the second floor, open only to invited guests.

Lin Yicheng snapped, “Why didn’t you say that earlier?”

Huang Zezhong bowed and scraped as he apologized. “Company rules, company rules.”
Under his lead, the group arrived on the second basement level.

Unlike the oppressive horror of the third and fourth levels, this place was a veritable den of extravagance.

The decor, all gold and crimson, was lavish to the extreme.

After Huang Zezhong ushered Qin Ying and the others into a room with a huge floor-to-ceiling window, he withdrew.

Only when the door shut did Yin Minmin let out a long breath.

That inexplicably oppressive atmosphere underground would make any normal person uncomfortable.

Qin Ying, who had been following behind them, said to Lin Yicheng, “Give me an account number. I’ll pay you back.”

Although this pampered young master Lin Yicheng had casually thrown out two hundred thousand yuan, Qin Ying had no intention of letting him foot the bill.

She had nine figures in cash on hand, plus some funds and stocks. She might not compare to the truly wealthy and powerful, but she was hardly short of this bit of money.

Lin Yicheng glanced sideways at her and said nothing.

To him, two hundred thousand was the cost of two meals. He would much rather have Qin Ying owe him a favor.

Seeing that, Qin Ying said no more and walked over to Yin Minmin’s side to look out the window with her.

Below them was a circular arena, much like a Roman Colosseum.

A spiked iron cage surrounded the black stone platform, and from the look of it, the fencing was probably electrified as well.

On the cage’s spikes hung blackened blood that had not been cleaned away, along with bits of fur, flesh, and gore scraped from something’s body.

Around the black arena was a semicircle of private rooms where VIPs could drink and enjoy the spectacle.

Of course, anyone looking to satisfy a more violent, morbid curiosity could also choose to watch up close beside the arena.

Maybe a spray of steaming blood would even splash across their face.

“This feels… awful.”

Standing on the soft, long-pile handmade carpet, Yin Minmin looked down at the primitive, bloody cage and hugged her arms tightly around herself.

Qin Ying reached out and put an arm around her shoulders. “There’s chocolate on the table. Go have something sweet.”

After gesturing for her to sit with Zhang Lang and eat something, Qin Ying remained alone by the window, surveying the surroundings.

Suddenly, her gaze landed on one spot.

The passage through which the fighting dogs entered and exited the arena was blocked by an iron gate. On the gate was a cast-iron emblem.

It was shaped like a leopard, with a single horn between its eyes as sharp as a blade, and five tails trailing behind it.

“Zheng?”

Having crammed the Classic of Mountains and Seas, Qin Ying recognized the cast-iron emblem.

“What?” Lin Yicheng, standing beside her, had not heard clearly and asked back without thinking.

Just then, the private room door creaked open.

An iron cage covered in black cloth was pushed inside.

Huang Zezhong smiled as he lifted the cloth. “Young Master Lin, the two dogs you bought.”

Inside the cage, both dogs had been given a simple grooming, so they were no longer quite so filthy, matted, or foul-smelling.

The mother dog, so thin she was practically paper, kept the burned puppy tightly shielded beneath her body.

Huang Zezhong said, “They’ve been fed and treated with medicine.”

He gestured for everyone to look at the puppy. Sure enough, some ointment had been applied to its burns.

The puppy that had been lying motionless earlier was now visibly much improved.

Qin Ying’s eyes darkened. She leaned closer to examine it. “What miracle cure did you use? For it to be this effective.”

Huang Zezhong did not answer. After glancing at his phone, he said, “There’s still half an hour until the show begins. Please wait a moment.”

With that, he closed the door and left.

During the half-hour wait, the lights in the previously empty private rooms came on one after another.

The empty stands below gradually filled as well.

Qin Ying pressed a hand to the floor-to-ceiling glass. After carefully counting the people, she murmured in a voice only she could hear.

“Huodou, Huodou… I truly don’t know whether this disaster fell from the heavens or was brought about by human hands.”