After getting into the car, Luo Ren was forced to sit in the back seat and was blindfolded.

He wasn’t nervous and asked, “What about my car?”

The person beside him sneered: “Worry about your car if you live to return.”

It was a good car, and he hadn’t even locked it. Left so conspicuously at the intersection, it might be towed by traffic management, which would be fine. But what if some extraordinarily lucky thief took it and ran, not knowing how to take care of it, driving recklessly? What then?

Comically, he recalled Meihua Jiuniang’s words: What thief, at what time, in what place, happened to encounter what car—it’s all a kind of destiny.

The car started moving.

Since he couldn’t see any way, he closed his eyes and carefully observed the car’s bumps and all sounds from outside.

The ride was smooth but at medium speed. They were in an urban area where traffic rules had to be followed.

Then they accelerated, like racing, with the car drifting. They had entered a highway, relatively empty at night.

The car bounced violently, but without reducing speed, swaying back and forth like an untamed horse. Dogs barked in the distance, startled by the noise. The air carried the scent of soil and vegetation.

Luo Ren frowned. They must have entered a rural area or suburbs far from the city. In such places, there was no hope of being tracked by surveillance cameras.

It was truly time to rely on improvisation and fate.

On the final stretch, the car slowed down and then stopped. Someone pulled him out but didn’t remove his blindfold. A gun pressed firmly against his ribs.

Luo Ren smiled and cooperated.

The temperature was slightly lower than in Lijiang, with normal humidity. They were far from the city, as there were no city-specific smells around. People spoke in hushed tones, in broken English, saying: Drive the car away, it’s too conspicuous here.

So the car drove off. Vaguely, Luo Ren heard the sound of a large gate opening, like the special large sliding gates at factory entrances.

Around him remained… three people.

All were lackeys, with no sign of Leopard.

The number matched his expectations. China wasn’t the Philippines. A leopard could run rampant in Medan, but not within Chinese borders. The people she brought in wouldn’t exceed ten, especially since some were dispatched elsewhere, searching for the seventh Xiong Simple.

He continued being led forward. Another heavy door opened. The surroundings suddenly darkened. When he coughed, there was an echo.

It must be a very large space. A factory workshop?

After walking a bit further, they stopped. Someone came to search him and pulled out the dagger he had been carrying from his lower back. Luo Ren thought it would be confiscated, but surprisingly, it wasn’t. The person handed the dagger back to him and roughly barked: “Go in.”

As he spoke, he gave Luo Ren a hard push. Luo Ren stumbled a couple of steps before steadying himself.

The footsteps retreated. There was a scent of rust and decay in the air. The surroundings were so quiet that one could sense the falling of dust.

Luo Ren hesitated, then reached up to remove his blindfold.

Almost simultaneously, from above came the sound of “bang, bang, bang.” Several powerful spotlights turned on from various directions, all aimed at one spot, like stage lights following the main character. The bright light was so intense that he could barely open his eyes.

Luo Ren raised his hand to shield his face, took a moment to adjust, then looked around.

It was a huge abandoned factory workshop. The production lines and machinery had been removed, leaving the space empty. High above, along the walls, was a walkway with iron mesh railings and stairs that encircled the perimeter. At intervals, there were small ventilation windows, like eyes embedded in the walls.

Those people had all stepped far away, standing motionless in the shadows against the walls.

Looking at where he stood, there were four large steel posts driven into the ground, four to five meters high, with chain links covering the top and all sides, and a door opened in the corner—he was essentially standing inside an iron cage.

Luo Ren looked down at the dagger in his hand and chuckled softly.

Though not entirely similar, the scene was all too familiar.

Underground fighting, death matches, and among death matches, the most intense and cruel kind: cage fighting to the death.

Similar to ancient Roman gladiatorial contests, two people enter, the cage is locked, and one must die for it to be opened.

If one didn’t have the heart to strike mercilessly, well, the cage wouldn’t open, and no one would bring food or water. Starving to death inside was also possible.

Cage fighting to the death was rare even in the Philippines or throughout Southeast Asia.

Luo Ren laughed loudly and looked upward: “So eager to see me fight? Who’s my challenger? Is it that Thai boxing champion Humann again? Haven’t seen him in a long time. I’ve missed him too.”

No answer. The walkway above was silent. Light arcs swirled in mid-air. Those few people were quiet as shadows.

Then, from behind him came gradually more distinct footsteps.

Luo Ren turned to see the Leopard.

His expression changed from astonishment to a cold smile: “You? Very well.”

In her hand was also a gleaming blade, not exactly small enough to be called a dagger. Luo Ren recognized it as a snake-shaped knife commonly used in Malaysia and Indonesia. The blade had 4 to 5 bends, curved like a snake. The handle extended into a serrated triangle used to trap an opponent’s weapon in close combat.

Cage fighting to the death, cold weapons, only one could survive.

Very well, this was exactly right. This was his ideal stage for revenge. No guns—a cold, emotionless bullet would be too quick, too painless to appease the dead. Better to use cold weapons: hard, cruel, breaking through flesh, drinking your blood.

Luo Ren took a deep breath.

“Where is Mu Dai?”

She didn’t answer, her gaze cold, her face expressionless. Step by step, she walked in, turned to close the door, locked it, then with a flick of her hand, threw the key through the chain link holes. It landed on the ground outside with the distinctive sound of metal.

“Where is Mu Dai?”

She still didn’t answer, twirling the snake-shaped knife in her hand. The handle was gold-inlaid, complementing the silver blade.

Luo Ren smiled: “What, nothing to say?”

Murderous intent suddenly rose in Leopard’s eyes. She abruptly charged forward two steps. Luo Ren quickly retreated, fully expecting a direct attack. Unexpectedly, her momentum unbroken, she suddenly veered to the side, stepping on the chain link, her body rising more than two meters high. Then, from above, her knife angled downward, stabbing toward Luo Ren’s neck.

Luo Ren dodged like a nimble ape, simultaneously turning, grabbing both her shoulders, one hand on each, and throwing her violently to the ground.

She moved extremely fast. As soon as her back hit the ground, she leaped up, her body flipping in mid-air, using the momentum to thrust the knife toward Luo Ren’s abdomen. Luo Ren showed no mercy, kicking her squarely in the hip bone, sending her flying into the chain link. But she was excellent at redirecting force, grabbing the chain with one hand, her body rolling upward rapidly, then with another fierce kick and flip, her feet firmly planted against the mesh, one hand gripping the chain link above—like a Spider-Man who could traverse rooftops and walls.

A strange thought flashed through Luo Ren’s mind: Leopard’s lightness skills were truly impressive.

When masters face off, even in just one round, nerves are already taut. Fortunately, based on time calculations, the stimulant had taken effect. He didn’t feel tired, his wound had no sensation, and he felt extremely energized.

Round two.

Leopard, from her high position, again pounced with great force. Luo Ren stepped back, his dagger slashing fiercely. In mid-air, she somehow bent her body to avoid the blade’s edge, extended her long arm to grab his shoulder, and like an agile gibbon, passed under his arm. One hand controlled his arm while the other, holding the snake-shaped knife, slashed directly at his throat.

Luo Ren changed tactics quickly, falling backward. Against an ordinary blade, this would have protected him, but the snake-shaped knife’s undulating blade had a curved edge that still drew a shallow cut across his neck.

Furious, Luo Ren, after falling, quickly repositioned himself, locking her legs with his own, and fiercely flipping to the side. As she fell, he thrust his dagger directly at her. The leopard couldn’t avoid it in time. Just as her body turned slightly, the dagger slashed downward from her collarbone.

The leopard cried out in pain, kicking him in the abdomen to slide away. Luo Ren felt no pain and stood up with his dagger.

On the other side, Leopard also grabbed the chain link and stood up.

Her wound was deeper than Luo Ren’s, with blood dripping onto the ground like small blooming crimson flowers.

How strange. The snake-shaped knife had a triangular extension on the handle with serrations, designed to protect the wrist and to trap an opponent’s dagger in close combat.

Just now, why didn’t she use the snake-shaped knife’s special feature? It was as if she didn’t know the knife had this function.

A vague doubt, like a distant cloud, passed through his mind.

But there was no time to think about it. The third round had begun.

This time, they charged at each other.

It was unclear who was attacking and who was defending. All he remembered was that when they collided, Luo Ren’s thoughts suddenly shifted. He stepped aside to her back, one hand pressing her shoulder, the other gripping her throat. She quickly grabbed Luo Ren’s arms, pulling down hard, attempting an over-the-shoulder throw. Midway, realizing her strength was insufficient, she planted one foot against the chain link, her body rising, taking three consecutive steps upward, seemingly trying to escape his hold. Luo Ren had anticipated her intention and almost mimicked her movements, following her footsteps on the chain link. Then, with a half-body flip, using his weight, he violently slammed her to the ground.

The impact of the fall created a muffled sound of her bones hitting the ground.

This was a rare opportunity. Luo Ren hesitated no longer. One hand gripped both her wrists, his knee pressed hard on her legs, and his other hand flipped the dagger, pressing its edge against her throat.

Opportunities shouldn’t be missed; time waits for no one. Luo Ren gritted his teeth, glaring at her fiercely for a few seconds, his mind flashing like a movie.

—Tasha, sweetly and shyly, with a red face, awkwardly said: “I’m Daddy’s little girl. Kings and queens always love their youngest children the most.”

—Eurus, splashing excitedly in the water, said: “Luo, I’m a snakehead fish. In China, snakehead fish are very precious, aren’t they?”

—Qingmu shouted at him: “Nine lives! Luo! Nine lives!”

Luo Ren’s vision blurred. He tightened his grip on the dagger, his hand pressing down…

At that moment, he suddenly froze.

He saw that the one eye of the Leopard beneath him, the eye not covered by the patch, slowly shed tears.

She was crying.

This scene seemed familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before.

Luo Ren’s whole body trembled. In a flash, his mind suddenly recalled that cool evening, the forest, Mu Dai’s tears falling onto his knife-holding hand.

His Adam’s apple bobbed. In the next second, almost uncontrollably, he ripped off her eye patch.

He saw her other eye, filled with tears, clear and bright.

No, how could this be? Great fear, dread, intertwined with wild joy. Luo Ren’s hands shook as he frantically reached for her neck and behind her ear. Something was skillfully adhered to her face—facial molds cast from rice paste. He found where it was attached and forcefully pulled it off…

There was a low, ghostly woman’s cold laugh, transmitted through a microphone and sound system, swirling in the vast space of the factory, making its source and direction indiscernible.

That voice said, “Kill him.”

As soon as the words fell, Mu Dai, beneath him, suddenly had fierce eyes, extended her arms, and violently clutched at Luo Ren’s throat.

Luo Ren rolled away. When he stood up again, she was already on her feet, slowly running her hand through her hair, while her other hand held the snake-shaped knife.

“Mu Dai?”

She didn’t answer, twirling the snake-shaped knife in her hand.