Amir's eyes widened in shock. He had heard of the underground arena before.
It was a truly dark place where people were kidnapped from all over and powerful creatures and strong slaves were captured. They were thrown into a massive arena to fight to the death. Only the last one standing would be granted freedom.
Lango had actually accepted their cargo! If they were caught, they would be in big trouble.
Amir called Jax and Veronica and told them the news.
They couldn't be sure yet, but they had to go there at least once.
------
Senir stared blankly at the arena below. His squid-like face was unusually devoid of its usual ingratiating smile.
He didn't know if he was too caught up in his emotions to perform or if he no longer needed to grovel.
"Senir, these warm-up performances are just appetizers. The real show hasn't started yet!" The Isaurian beside him opened his small mouth and spoke through his portable translator. This creature's vocal organs were insufficient for speaking other languages.
"Hehe!" Senir instantly got into character. "But the performance was excellent. It makes me even more excited for the show you mentioned."
"Rest assured, we won't disappoint you. Thanks to your support of our business at the port, Mrs. Bradley prepared this especially for you."
"Hehehe! It's all about mutual cooperation, Mr. Rayne. No need to be so formal." Senior said with a smile.
In the corner, many people watched silently. One of them couldn't help but say, "Senir is really lucky. After Lensis was arrested, how did his resources suddenly fall into the hands of such an unknown nobody? If I had gotten them, I could have..."
"Shut up. He's not someone we can talk about anymore. Just watch. The giant performance at the underground arena is a rare sight."
------
At the entrance, a red-haired girl walked in with a swagger.
"The performances here aren't for little girls," said a mercenary guarding the door with a smile.
Veronica ignored him and walked in expressionlessly.
"Haha, she's got a temper. Don't let it get to you."
Amir released his spider robot outside the building.
The small robot crawled along the ventilation ducts and projected the scenes it saw onto Amir's wrist display.
Sitting in the corner, Amir stared intently at the display.
The screen showed the camera moving downward through the ducts while the surrounding holographic map gradually became more detailed.
"The detention area must be down there," Amir speculated.
He had always been satisfied with the spider robot's infiltration capabilities. He had used it to carry out numerous "misdeeds" during his time at the Imperial Military Academy—though, of course, they were all legitimate ones.
In such sealed buildings, ventilation ducts were inevitable. While some spaceships and military facilities might have specialized defenses against such ducts, including numerous traps, this building certainly did not.
The spider robot moved freely, running as fast as it could.
Veronica appeared briefly at the edge of the screen but did not linger. The robot continued down the duct.
As they descended, the light grew dimmer, and soon, only the faint glow of yellow lights remained. The light from the ventilation ducts was almost completely blocked.
"Found it!" Amir exclaimed in surprise. In the corner of the holographic map, he saw a row of rooms resembling cells, each containing creatures of different sizes.
In the innermost room, he spotted a familiar figure.
"Click, click, click." The spider robot crawled into the room and gently tapped Lango's body with its short tentacles.
"Amir?" Lango exclaimed in surprise.
Having found Lango, Amir breathed a sigh of relief. As long as he was there, everything was okay. Otherwise, his life would still be in jeopardy.
The spider robot couldn't transmit any more information, so it remained with Lango. Amir stood up and walked toward the building.
When he arrived at the ticket office, he bought a ticket and told the receptionist, "I need to see your manager."
He wanted to resolve the matter peacefully. When dealing with such a deeply rooted and powerful organization, force was never the first option.
If he infiltrated the building to rescue Lango and was discovered, their chances of escaping would be infinitesimally small.
Therefore, Amir was willing to negotiate and had prepared himself for significant losses.
"Do you have an appointment?"
"No, I have business to discuss with your boss."
"Our boss is currently with another guest. I'm afraid we won't be able to assist you today. Would you like me to schedule an appointment for tomorrow?"
Amir pulled out another credit point from his clothes and silently added it to the debt he owed Lango.
Seeing the credit point, the receptionist nervously took it and said, "I'll pass on the message. Whether it works out or not is none of my business."
"Thank you for your trouble."
The receptionist turned around and whispered something into her communicator. After waiting a moment, she turned back to Amir.
"Mrs. Bradley isn't here today, and Mr. Rayen is meeting with important guests. Why don't you wait a moment?"
"I'll go in myself." Amir said, walking straight inside and leaving the receptionist looking panicked.
He had received a message from Veronica who had seen Senier standing next to the boss.
Although he walked decisively, Amir was stopped at the door. His blaster gun was left behind because weapons were not allowed inside.
------
Only upon entering could one truly grasp the place's sheer scale.
On ordinary performance days, only one stage was open, and even that single stage was half the size of a football field. Today, however, six additional stages had been set up in a hexagram pattern surrounding the central main stage.
Several massive screens were suspended from the arena's roof, each displaying footage from a different arena.
Audience seats stacked in three layers were positioned between the arenas. A metal framework with transparent railings along the edges offered an unobstructed view.
There were also tables and chairs in the audience area where the gentlemen and ladies could enjoy a drink while watching the brutal fights.
Veronica leaned against the railing, watching Senir chat animatedly in the distance.
Amir appeared behind her.
"Did you find Lango?" Veronica asked.
"Yes." Amir looked down at the cold stage whose edges were lined with iron doors. One of those doors led to the cell where Lango was being held.
"I'll go talk to him. If I fail, you must be prepared," Amir said.
Veronica was likely the only guest here armed with a weapon.