The lobby on the first floor of the building was crowded, but the passage leading to the competition arena was guarded. It seemed that ticket inspection had already ended.
Joe Di's newly learned invisibility technique finally came in handy. Although his technique was still rough, it was more than enough to deal with these security guards.
He slipped past the guards and entered the upward-sloping passage toward the arena.
Before even entering the arena, Joe Di could feel the heated atmosphere and hear the constant shouting. Once he passed through the passage, he could clearly see the scene inside the arena.
On the stage, two muscular men were exchanging blows. Joe Di glanced at them but quickly lost interest.
The arena was cauldron-shaped, and where he stood was the heart of the arena. How was he supposed to find Quentin Jia in such a place?
"Is there anything I can help you with?" A man in a black suit walked up to the searching Joe Di, hands crossed in front of his abdomen, asking politely.
"I'm looking for..." Joe Di was about to mention Quentin Jia, but immediately dismissed the idea. If he were truly invited by Quentin Jia, someone would have already led him in instead of letting him wander around. If he tried to seek Quentin Jia on his own, he'd likely be turned away at the door.
"I'm here to deliver something to Zane Bi on behalf of a friend. These items must be handed over to him personally. He said he'd send someone to meet me in the lobby, but I was delayed on the way and didn't find the person waiting for me." As he spoke, Joe Di lifted the long blade wrapped like a harp and patted the large bag on his back.
Joe Di was certain that Quentin Jia would be present at the boxing arena in Luojin City, and Zane Bi was bound to be in a place like this.
"Upstairs on the right, Mr. Zane is in the fourth private box." The man in the black suit didn't hesitate and pointed Joe Di in the right direction. Before the match began, Mr. Zane had instructed that anyone looking for him should be directed straight to his box.
In Luojin City, no one dared to cause trouble in Quentin Jia's business arena unless they truly had a death wish. So the attendant never considered that Joe Di might be here to stir up trouble.
"Thank you," Joe Di said, and headed straight up the stairs on the right.
Following the directions given by the man in the black suit, Joe Di easily found the fourth private box. The door was tightly shut, but instead of knocking, Joe Di took out his dagger and sliced along the edge of the door with force.
The wooden door parted like tofu, opening under Joe Di's hand with almost supernatural ease.
Inside the box were two people: a short-haired, refined-looking middle-aged man with one hand resting on the large window overlooking the match, and a woman leaning against him.
"Who are you?" Seeing Joe Di force his way in, Zane Bi suddenly stood up. The woman beside him was knocked to the floor by his abrupt movement.
Before the woman could cry out, Joe Di grabbed a piece of broken wood and knocked her unconscious, then stepped up to face Zane Bi. "A friend of mine says my disguise technique is terrible. Didn't you notice I looked a bit familiar?"
"You're Joe Di?" Zane Bi finally realized, about to leap up. He'd heard that Joe Di had killed Sam Sang. And for Sam Sang, killing Zane Bi would have been as easy as a slap.
Joe Di raised his hand and sent a slap flying. Zane Bi could see it coming, but his body was paralyzed—he simply couldn't evade.
"Smack!" Zane Bi was knocked onto the sofa by Joe Di's slap. Joe Di walked over and grabbed Zane Bi by the throat. "I heard that a little over a month ago, you went to Beijing with a woman looking for me?"
"Mmm..." Zane Bi could only make muffled sounds, unable to speak.
Joe Di realized his grip was too strong and loosened his hold. Zane Bi's face was flushed red as he finally managed to speak. "It's a misunderstanding... Quentin Jia sent me. I escaped from Luojin..."
"Where's Quentin Jia?" Joe Di couldn't be bothered to ask any further.
"I can tell you—just let me go..." Zane Bi was both terrified and desperate.
Ever since Joe Di killed Sam Sang, Zane Bi had given up any thought of revenge. All he wanted was never to see Joe Di again. He used to think that staying close to Master Quentin Jia was safest, but now, even that didn't seem so secure.
Joe Di chuckled. "If you've got guts, just don't tell me."
As he spoke, his grip tightened like a vice...
No matter what Zane Bi said, Joe Di had no intention of letting him go. He'd promised to avenge Sylvia Su's parents, and now that Zane Bi had fallen into his hands, letting him go was out of the question.
Clearly, Zane Bi wasn't the type to stand his ground. Without waiting for Joe Di to say another word, he quickly shouted, "I'll talk!"
......
The top-floor lobby of the International Boxing Arena building was even more minimalist than the first floor. On this level was the largest conference room in the entire arena—spacious, bright, and with a clear view of the boxing matches outside from inside.
At the moment, twenty people were seated in the conference room. Among them were one Black man and three White men.
In the host's seat sat a middle-aged man with a ruddy complexion—he was the organizer of this meeting and the founder of the International Boxing Arena, Quentin Jia.
"Brother Jia, I fully agree with your proposal. But establishing our power on Celestia will require a lot of money. What's even more difficult is that, when it comes to setting up a base on Celestia, money isn't the biggest challenge..." In the center, a black-bearded man stood up and spoke. This was Tom Fang, also known as General Tai.
This man, Tom Fang, was a notorious crime lord from Southeast Asia. He used to smuggle weapons and drugs, but when international crackdowns intensified, he set up a mercenary company in Africa. He especially liked being called General Tai.
Everyone present understood what he meant. So far, ninety percent of those able to establish a foothold on Celestia were backed by their respective nations. The remaining ten percent were top global families and shadowy syndicates joining forces.
Quentin Jia had some standing, but compared to those building power on Celestia, he was still a bit behind.
Even the first step—transporting materials to Celestia to build a simple base—was no easy task.
"I agree with Boss Tai. I suggest bringing Benson in—he does a lot of business with the Jewish community. As long as there's money, they'll do anything." Another man stepped forward, a White man whose Mandarin was fluent and accent-free.
After the White man finished speaking, another person tried to stand and say something. But Quentin Jia raised his hand to stop him, apologizing, "Sorry, I seem to have an urgent matter. Otherwise, my personal secretary wouldn't be interrupting me right now."
Since Quentin Jia had convened this meeting, the others quickly expressed that they didn't mind.
Quentin Jia waved to the doorway, and a slender young woman in professional attire hurried in. She approached Quentin Jia, bent down, and whispered, "Chairman, we've just received word that your bedroom alarm has gone off."
Quentin Jia's expression changed. He immediately asked, "Has anyone checked what's going on inside?"
The woman quickly replied, "The villa is now under strict surveillance. We're waiting for your instructions, Chairman."
Before Quentin Jia gave his instructions, none of his guards dared to enter his bedroom without permission.
Quentin Jia suddenly stood up and cupped his fists. "Friends, there's an issue at home. I need to go back and check immediately..."
Before anyone could respond, Joe Di's voice thundered at the conference room door: "Quentin Jia, you don't need to go home. I've come for you."
Joe Di walked in carrying a vest bag, a long blade wrapped in black cloth in his hand, and a large bag slung over his back.
[Non-narrative author's note omitted: "That's all for today's update. Good night, friends!"]