Hearing Yamanamikawa's blunt mockery, Boss Hong immediately cursed back, "With your amateur Swordsmanship, even if you add your Leader Kondo, you're just slightly stronger trash. Just wait for me to take out all five of you single-handedly!"
Yamanamikawa didn't care about Boss Hong's taunts. He merely swept his Snake-like gaze over him and Sister Xie beside him, chuckling softly. "Enjoy your remaining days. Once you step into the Death Madness Tower, your lives will wither away."
Boss Hong was about to hurl a few more insults, but Sister Xie stopped him with a raised hand. The middle-aged woman, her face marred by disfiguring scars, stared coldly at Yamanamikawa. Her gaze was like she was looking at a dead man. "Are you done? If you are, get out of the way. Don't delay our work."
Being stared at by this woman, a chill rose in Yamanamikawa's heart. He had wanted to throw out a few more harsh words, but he noticed Sister Xie's right hand slightly tightening around the hilt of her sword, as if she would draw it and cut someone down at any moment.
His expression changed. He wisely said no more, simply sneering as he stepped aside and made a "please" gesture. Sister Xie glanced at him and strode forward with a cold face.
"Cheap scumbag!" Boss Hong threw out a final insult while waving for the crowd behind him to follow.
Seeing this, Yamanamikawa's subordinates tacitly parted to make way, no longer blocking the intersection. However, every one of them gripped their weapons tightly, their Hyena-like, bloodthirsty eyes locked onto the people passing through, as if they would strike at any second.
Boss Hong's people were clearly not to be outdone. They all raised their weapons in a threatening stance, cursing incessantly.
Feng Yin was naturally among them, bearing the brunt of numerous malicious glares. If he hadn't acquired his Armor, he might have felt somewhat panicked under the stares of these ferocious thugs. But now it was different. If he truly encountered a desperate situation, he could instantly manifest his Armor to save his life—and even slaughter the majority of the people present, provided the enemy didn't have firearms.
A thought stirred in Feng Yin's mind. Before entering the city, he had seen clearly that the firearms held by the two guards, though of an unrecognizable model, were definitely some sort of submachine gun or rifle. Yet, after entering this Sin City teeming with felons, he hadn't seen anyone with a gun, nor had he heard any gunshots while sleeping at night.
He wondered if firearms were a rarity in this place—or at least, did the vast majority of criminals not possess such lethal weapons? After all, this was an isolated island cut off from the rest of the world. As long as Defense measures were comprehensive, it was unlikely that guns could be smuggled in, right?
Feng Yin couldn't be certain, but he hoped his guess was correct. That way, the advantage of his Armor would be even greater.
***
The conflict did not break out. Although both sides appeared explosive on the surface, they were fundamentally quite restrained, mostly just exchanging words without taking action. Feng Yin followed his group safely through the cleared path.
Before they parted, Yamanamikawa's sinister voice echoed from behind again. "Boss Hong, Ghost-faced Fox, the bidding is in half a month. I'll be waiting for you to come to your deaths—to die by the hands of the Tooth Thrust Skill."
Boss Hong turned around and flipped the middle finger at the Ren Sheng Group behind them. Sister Xie couldn't even be bothered to turn her head.
Mixed in the crowd, Feng Yin's heart stirred upon hearing Yamanamikawa's final words. Tooth Thrust Skill? Could it be the "Yatu" he knew? Forget it, it was none of his business anyway.
***
Not long after parting with Yamanamikawa and the Ren Sheng Group, Feng Yin followed the team to a large warehouse, which was already quite close to the Death Madness Tower. This proximity allowed Feng Yin to see the details of the building more clearly.
Although the building was called the "Death Madness Tower," it was actually a sprawling high-rise. It was pitch black all over, and its overall shape resembled an obelisk. The so-called "height," naturally, couldn't compare to the towering skyscrapers of dozens or hundreds of floors he had seen in Earth's cities. The Death Madness Tower appeared to have about thirty floors, with a massive podium building at its base. However, while such a building wouldn't be considered tall in a modern metropolis, it was completely out of place in this slum-like Sin City. He wondered how they had transported so many construction materials to this isolated overseas island.
Just as Feng Yin was examining the Death Madness Tower, Brother Hong appeared beside him and gave him a hard pat. "Kid, what are you looking at? Hurry up and follow the others to unload the trucks. I don't feed idlers!"
Feng Yin nodded and let out an "oh," then asked curiously, "Brother Hong, what exactly is this Death Madness Tower used for, and who is inside?"
Brother Hong glanced at him, his gaze shifting slightly. "You really lost your memory completely, kid. The Death Madness Tower is a facility owned by the renowned Zero Point Consortium. All you need to know is that this company is a behemoth involved in crucial Domains like Energy, munitions, and biology.
"The Death Madness Tower is a facility the Zero Point Consortium only builds in various lawless zones. There are only five in the whole world. Just like what you saw on the screen earlier, they are specifically used to host the bloody Martial arts tournament, 'Death Frenzy Sword Combat,' for the viewing pleasure of the wealthy and powerful from across the globe."
"Uh..." Feng Yin was somewhat astonished. "There's actually an underground tournament that sounds this inhumane?"
"Heh," Brother Hong sneered. "Money makes the world go round. You can't imagine the Energy of a super conglomerate. Moreover, the Death Madness Tower's ability to amass wealth is second to none, and it has brought the Zero Point Consortium a colossal network of connections.
"Some small countries are practically begging the Zero Point Consortium to come and build a Death Madness Tower."
Saying this, Brother Hong patted Feng Yin's shoulder. "Did you know? Once someone enters this Border Prison Island, normal people can never leave until they die. But there is one way to obtain a legitimate, legal identity and return to the civilized world."
Feng Yin looked at him silently, his eyes flickering. "It has something to do with the Death Madness Tower, right?"
Brother Hong pointed at the top of the tower. "Exactly. According to a legend that, while unpublicized, is well-known throughout the Border Prison Island—as long as you sign up for the official Death Frenzy Sword Combat tournament and achieve a hundred-match winning streak, you can leave the island with ten million Federation Coins, along with a legal identity that allows you to move freely in any country in the world."
He looked at Feng Yin meaningfully and said, "Kid, do you want to leave?"
Feng Yin didn't answer his question directly. He thought for a moment and asked softly, "Can I get citizenship in the Celestial Essence Country?"
Brother Hong was stunned for a moment before chuckling. "You certainly know how to choose, kid." Then he waved his hand, gloating. "Coincidentally, the Zero Point Group can do a lot of things, but the one thing they can't do is get a legal Celestial Essence nationality for someone with an unknown identity."
Feng Yin lowered his eyes. "It seems this group isn't omnipotent after all." He looked back at Brother Hong. "Then is there any other way for me to go to the Celestial Essence Country?"
Brother Hong laughed heartily and patted Feng Yin's shoulder hard again. "You want to go back? Sister Xie and I want to go back too! Stop dreaming. With your scrawny arms and legs, you wouldn't even survive the first match of the Death Frenzy Sword Combat.
"Hurry up and get to work! Otherwise, there'll be no food for you!"