Haiyang Sheng wanted to chat more with Evan Lin, but with Victor Yu and Boss Long present, he hesitated, unsure how to start. Every so often he glanced at Evan, only to find Evan's expression utterly calm, showing none of the excitement you'd expect from someone arriving here.
"Manager Sheng, do you know Little Brother Lin?"
Victor Yu sat down, looked at Haiyang Sheng, and gently asked.
"I do." Haiyang Sheng nodded. When he heard Victor Yu call Evan 'Little Brother Lin,' his eyes flickered.
Just now, when Victor Yu had brought water at Evan's casual gesture, that alone was enough to shock Haiyang Sheng. Now, with Victor Yu directly calling Evan 'Little Brother,' if this happened outside, it would probably make a whole crowd drop their jaws!
Even Haiyang Sheng himself wasn't on equal footing with Victor Yu—let alone his own subordinate, Chen Qiangshan!
That Chen Qiangshan probably didn't even know Evan Lin was acquainted with Victor Yu.
Haiyang Sheng thought it over. He figured Evan must've gotten to know Victor Yu thanks to his mysterious old Chinese medicine master.
After all, an old doctor with top-notch skills would have a pretty wide circle of contacts. Thinking this way, Haiyang Sheng's mind suddenly felt clear.
"Yeah, if we get the chance, let's have a drink together sometime."
Victor Yu spoke calmly. The words made a sharp light flash in Haiyang Sheng's eyes, and when he looked at Evan Lin, there was something new and hard to describe in his gaze.
Boss Long kept quiet on the side, while Evan Lin took a few sips of water and turned his gaze to the center ring.
A host in a black suit strode onto the stage, microphone in hand, hair slicked back, shiny leather shoes gleaming. He took a deep breath, then shouted, "Welcome to Imperial Grand's Grand Fist Gym! Tonight's rules are the same as before—first, ten one-on-one elimination matches. The winners will go straight on to challenge our eleven-win champion, Tiger!"
The host, dressed in black, was brimming with energy. His voice was full of hype, every word perfectly enunciated. As he spoke, he circled the ring.
"Tiger! Tiger! Tiger!"
"Let's go! Hell yeah!"
"Hurry up and start! Enough with the damn talking!"
The stands erupted with shouts. Scantily clad women, wearing only bras and panties, twisted their snake-like waists as they carried cash boxes through the crowd. Everywhere they went, people handed over wads of cash to exchange for betting slips.
"Tonight there are two options: Tiger wins, or Tiger loses. Everyone here is betting on Tiger to win. The payout ratio is 1:0.5. Guess how much gets wagered in a single night?"
Victor Yu glanced indifferently at the women collecting chips in the stands, then turned to Evan Lin. Seeing Evan's calm demeanor and lack of response, he simply continued, "Last time, the total bets were twenty-five million. This time, it might be even more—maybe thirty-five to fifty-five million. Tiger's arrival has already caused Imperial Grand some serious losses."
Evan Lin didn't reply, so Victor Yu just shut his mouth.
"I heard there's a mystery guest fighting Tiger tonight. Wonder if that guest'll get killed with one punch? Word is, Tiger doesn't hold back at all." Boss Long grumbled from the couch.
He glanced at Evan Lin, then leaned toward Haiyang Sheng, putting on a show: "Manager Sheng, you've heard of Tiger, right? The guy can punch through a sandbag! How much of a chance do you think this mystery guest has against Tiger? Wanna put a bet on it?"
Boss Long chuckled. Haiyang Sheng hadn't figured out why Boss Long was suddenly bringing this up, but soon replied, "I've heard of Tiger. Seems like he only showed up recently—came in from River City, right?"
"Last time I was here, he'd already won eight in a row. I happened to see him smash a Xingyi fighter's chest in with a single punch. That guy was done for immediately." Haiyang Sheng recalled the scene—still vivid in his memory.
From Haiyang Sheng's perspective, Tiger's resistance to damage and explosive muscle power were downright terrifying.
Forget punching through a sandbag—Haiyang Sheng even suspected that if Tiger went all out, he could punch right through the boards under the ring.
"I don't know who the mystery guest is, but honestly, beating Tiger looks like a long shot to me," Haiyang Sheng said frankly.
He'd trained in martial arts himself and was no slouch—taking on twenty-plus street punks was no problem for him.
But just thinking about Tiger in action sent a chill down Haiyang Sheng's spine. That guy was the kind of fighter who made you feel fear deep in your bones.
"Hahaha, great minds think alike! That's exactly what I was thinking!" Boss Long laughed loudly, then turned to Victor Yu: "Hey, Yu, I'm putting down a bet—ten million on Tiger to win! You taking this action or not?"
Victor Yu hesitated when he heard that, glancing at Evan Lin.
Evan Lin kept his usual calm expression, as if none of this had anything to do with him.
But just then, Boss Long opened his mouth, and Evan Lin shot him a casual glance. That single look made Boss Long shiver all over, with a reflexive ache between his legs.
"I'll bet with you."
Evan Lin spoke, his tone light but leaving no room for argument.
Boss Long almost wanted to retort, 'Bet my ass! If you lose, you'll be dead anyway—what are you gonna pay me with?'
But the words died in his throat.
Then he thought, whatever—Evan Lin can't win anyway. If he loses, Tiger'll kill him. So why not take the bet?
Boss Long didn't really care about the ten million. What he cared about was seeing Evan Lin get killed by Tiger!
"Deal, hahaha!"
Thinking of this, Boss Long burst out laughing, leaving Haiyang Sheng a little baffled. But as he looked at Evan Lin, his gaze grew deeper and more serious.
Haiyang Sheng was more and more convinced that Evan Lin was no ordinary guy—impossible to figure out.
Just then, two fighters climbed onto the ring from opposite sides.
The first underground match at Grand Fist Gym was officially underway.