From the red doorway, Jill Young strode out in casual clothes, head held high. As the spotlight caught her, the crowd quieted, exchanging confused glances. But Jill, surrounded by stares, remained unfazed and marched straight to the ring. Her nerves of steel made Bobby Brooks, trailing behind, sigh with admiration.
"Huh? What’s going on, is the Red Corner not coming?" The host’s voice chimed in at just the right moment: "If this woman is The Phantom’s mistress, then I’d say The Phantom is one lucky bastard. But if she’s the Red Corner’s fighter, then The Phantom must be a total madman! Oh my god, she’s stepping into the ring—she really is the contestant! This woman is The Phantom’s new ace. Is The Phantom kidding us?"
Jill Young walked up to the ring. Across from her, Savage Fang burst out laughing and raised his hand amid the rowdy cheers.
"Oh? Savage Fang wants to say something—is he going to play the gentleman and hand over the win? Looks like that’s Red Corner’s only hope right now!"
The audience quieted, staring at Savage Fang, unsure what he’d say. Grabbing the mic, Savage Fang pointed arrogantly at Jill Young: "You’re in the wrong place, sweetheart—the nightclub’s not here, you dumb broad!" With that, he placed the mic at his crotch and stroked it up and down with his right hand.
As the crowd burst into laughter, Bobby Brooks started chanting a prayer for Savage Fang’s peaceful passing. Bro, may you find bliss in the afterlife soon.
Sure enough, Jill narrowed her eyes and walked toward Savage Fang, expressionless. In no time, she stood right in front of him. Savage Fang sized her up—skinny arms, skinny legs, tiny waist—no threat at all. "What, you wanna hit me?" He stuck his face out: "Go ahead, I’ll let you have a free shot!"
The crowd roared with laughter, and Savage Fang was riding high. He never imagined his opponent tonight would be such a weirdo—a total softie.
But in the next instant, Jill unleashed all the energy she’d been holding back—the softie instantly turned into a beast. By the time Savage Fang’s instincts kicked in, it was too late—a lightning-fast right hook smashed into his outstretched cheek.
Savage Fang’s face rippled under the impact, his features twisted as he toppled sideways, his neck bones cracking so loud it sounded like they might snap any second.
About to snap? Let’s fix that! Jill Young swung a crisp left hook, sending Savage Fang’s head whipping the other way—like a sapling battered by a typhoon.
"Dumb broad?" Jill cracked her knuckles, a terrifying shadow across her face. "I’ll make sure you enjoy every second of this."
"Whoa, would you look at that! Unbelievable—Savage Fang’s getting wrecked!" As the crowd erupted in shocked cheers, the host’s excited voice boomed again: "Everyone, look! Savage Fang’s boss is talking to the referee—what’s he saying? Quick, get him a mic!"
Under the spotlight, a sweaty, pot-bellied man roared through clenched teeth: "That’s a foul! Attacking before the match even starts is a serious violation! I demand the other side be disqualified immediately!"
"Oh? The fat guy says it’s a foul? Well, the cage isn’t up and the ref didn’t call start, so maybe it is." As the crowd booed in unison, the host switched gears: "But the referee’s word is final—let’s hear what he thinks!"
The spotlight swung over to a burly referee, who snatched the mic. He shot a subtle look elsewhere—where Bobby Brooks was quietly nodding. So the ref grabbed the mic and declared: "To hell with the rules—this is underground fighting!"
"Awooo!" The crowd went wild, the host laughing like a maniac: "That’s right—underground fights don’t need weaklings! Look, what’s the name of the guy getting his butt kicked? I already forgot! I think it’s time to announce our new hero’s nickname—let me see… Deadly Rose!"
"Deadly Rose?" On stage, Jill Young looked up thoughtfully, then shook her head. "Still sounds dumb. What do you think?" She glanced at Savage Fang, who was crawling away, babbling nonsense.
"Damn it! Get up!" Offstage, the fat man was roaring: "I bet a hundred grand on you—one hundred thousand dollars! And you can’t even beat a chick! Get up and smash that little brat!"
But Savage Fang just shook his head, sobbing and sniffling—he didn’t want to fight, he just wanted to survive! This woman was terrifying! The edge of the ring was in sight, but suddenly his ankle was grabbed and yanked back hard. He clawed desperately at the floor, but it was useless.
Jill Young yanked Savage Fang back into the ring—trying to run? Not that easy! Suddenly, she turned to the swearing fat guy. "Did you just call me a brat?" Jill pointed at the ring under her feet. "I think you should take a walk up here yourself."
The fat guy met Jill’s gaze and instantly felt like he’d fallen into an ice pit—he couldn’t say a word.
Up in the VIP box, Jonathan Black watched the wild crowd below and chuckled softly. "I knew it—she’d set the place on fire." Just then, Charlie, the white-haired senior, walked in and handed Jonathan a folder. "Boss, it’s all done."
Jonathan opened the folder—inside was a card and some documents. He glanced through them and nodded. "Ten million, now that’s more like it. Bobby’s pretty quick. By the way, Charlie, where do you think is a good spot for a date?"
"Boss, this girl is just…" Charlie paused, searching for the right word. "She’s one of a kind. She can turn tough guys into rag dolls—are you sure about this?"
"I know she’s wild." Jonathan gazed at the ring, where Savage Fang was bawling his eyes out. A pretty girl beating a burly man until he cried—the crowd was loving the contrast. Jonathan’s eyes sparkled. "But I can’t help it. I never dream, but lately my head’s been full of her. So, Charlie, help me out here."
Jonathan and Charlie were clearly more than just boss and employee. Charlie looked at Jonathan for a long moment, then nodded. "Alright, but I’m no love expert. She doesn’t seem too interested in fancy brands, but…" Charlie remembered a basket of dumplings in a Beijing morning. "I think she’s really into food."
Suddenly, a huge cheer erupted outside. The two turned to see Jill Young finally tossing Savage Fang out of the ring. The big guy landed squarely on the fat man, who rolled his eyes and passed out cold.
The host shouted with wild excitement: "Look, that loser’s totally destroyed! Let’s hear it, you maniacs—today, our district has a new champion: Deadly Rose!"
"Deadly Rose! Deadly Rose!! Deadly Rose!!!" The crowd waved their arms, their chants crashing like waves. But in the eye of the storm, Jill suddenly yelled, "Shut up—ALL of you!"
Jill’s voice drowned out everyone else, echoing through the closed space. The unexpected outburst silenced the whole arena; the crowd stared at Jill in confusion. Even the host, Bobby, Charlie, and Jonathan were stunned—nobody knew why she was so mad.
"Don’t call me Deadly Rose—that name is just stupid. I don’t like it!" Jill pointed at the audience like a queen giving orders. "Listen up—call me The Queen from now on!"
"Yaaah!" a young woman in the crowd screamed—it was the girl with glasses. Her face flushed as she shouted, "Queen, I love you!" Then the whole audience exploded, chanting "Queen," cheering so loud it nearly blew the roof off.
In the ecstatic crowd, a nondescript person snapped a photo of Jill Young, licking his lips with a cold smile. "The Queen, huh? Looks like this’ll fetch a good price…" (Had a big meeting today, totally exhausted. Still have to write the minutes after—what a pain… Send hugs, send head pats…)