"Ladies and gentlemen, the spectacular match is about to begin!" The announcer's voice rang out from the same location as always: "Tonight, we present an absolute blockbuster—the showdown of the Meat Mountain Kings!"
On the ring stood two seriously hefty fighters. Down below, Jill Young sat comfortably in the audience, thoroughly entertained as she watched the action. She'd spent the past few days up there as a fighter herself, so viewing things from the crowd was a whole new experience.
The iron cage descended and locked into place, its sides bristling with long blades—yep, it was the Blade Cage again. The two hefty fighters began trading blows. They were strong, sure, but strength was pretty much all they had going for them.
From Jill's perspective, their special physique gave them brute force, but not much actual damage potential. Take Jack Young, for example—back in the day, he wasn't nearly as strong as these two. If all three attacked someone, these guys could punch a dude across the room, snap a few bones, and leave them howling. But if Jack hit you, you'd just drop dead on the spot—no fuss, no noise.
So, in terms of raw power, these two chubby guys were all bark and no bite. They tangled up for ages, and it looked like this fight was going nowhere fast. The audience started booing, clearly unimpressed.
"Wow, what a snooze-fest. Looks like these two need some motivation." The audience is king, so the announcer chimed in right on cue: "Three, two, one—go!"
As soon as he finished, there was a loud mechanical hum—the sides of the Blade Cage started squeezing inward. The ring, which was already cramped, suddenly felt even tighter.
"At this rate, it'll clamp shut in less than two minutes. If you had a better figure—like our Queen Jill—you could just nap in the gap between the blades. But you two porkers? Too late to slim down now! If you don't wanna die, you'd better kill the other guy first!" The crowd erupted in cheers and howls, and the fighters started going all out for their lives.
It didn't take long before one fighter got skewered on the blades. The survivor threw his head back and roared, letting out all the wild joy of victory—and the terror of barely escaping death.
Life here is both expensive and cheap. If you're strong, you're worth a lot; if you're weak, you're dirt cheap. Survive, and your price goes up. Die, and you're a bargain. Honestly, it's the same anywhere—it's just way more obvious and extreme here, so it's not really worth getting sentimental about.
"Hey, where'd Bobby go?" Jill Young looked around, but Bobby Brooks was nowhere to be seen. He'd just been fussing over her, and now he was off doing who-knows-what.
In a secluded corner, Bobby glanced around to make sure he was alone—especially that Jill Young wasn't nearby. He wiped his forehead and spoke into his phone: "Boss, you're in Hong Kong already? You're killing me here. If Her Majesty finds out I'm investigating her, I'm toast... No, I haven't found out anything about Her Majesty's background. Not a single clue. But I'm convinced she's connected to Jack Young. If I dig into Jack, I'll get somewhere. I've already got the files ready—sending them now. And boss, whatever you do, don't mess this up. I'm terrified of the Queen losing her temper."
Hong Kong. At the top floor of the Dingcheng Tower, Jonathan Black hung up the phone.
Looks like Jack Young is the only lead left. Jonathan opened his laptop and saw that his well-trained team had already gathered most of Jack's info in no time. Who he'd clashed with, old grudges, awards won—those details were missing for now. But the very first line of the report grabbed Jonathan's attention.
Jack Young, age twenty-six, only child. Father: Jin Young. Mother: Susan Morrow.
"Su...san...Morrow?" Jonathan Black stared at the photo—a woman past her youth but still strikingly beautiful. Somehow, her image blurred together with Jill Young in his mind, loosening the tangled memories in his head. Just a photo, yet it stirred Jonathan even more than Jill Young ever had.
Jonathan knew he had to meet Susan Morrow. And for some strange reason, he didn't want to disrupt her life—he just wanted to quietly get close and solve his own mystery.
So, he called the Dingcheng Group's general manager's office: "This is Jonathan Black. I need to go to mainland China. Shandong Province, Jiping City. ASAP."
The next morning was bright, breezy, and beautiful. Jiping City welcomed a new day. It was a small town—low buildings, narrow streets, slow traffic, wide walkways, and rows of paulownia trees. The kind of place you could stroll around at your own pace, a stark contrast to bustling, high-strung Hong Kong.
In a city like this, Jonathan Black felt like he stuck out. Since it wasn't a big cosmopolitan hub, the locals were still super curious about foreigners. Under a mix of obvious and subtle stares, Jonathan walked into a hospital. Yep, he was here for a checkup today.
He registered, found the consultation room—no line, since there weren't many patients. He glanced at the doctor's photo by the door: Chief Physician, Susan Morrow. Jonathan Black took a deep breath and walked in. Two doctors were inside, both masked, so only their eyes were visible. But Jonathan instantly recognized Susan Morrow and sat down in front of her. Just looking into her eyes up close left him dazed.
"Uh..." Susan Morrow looked surprised and a bit embarrassed. Surprised, because no foreigner had ever come to this small town for a checkup. Embarrassed, because—well, she had a legit medical degree, but her English skills... Let's just say, like mother, like son.
Jonathan Black noticed her discomfort and quickly said, "I—I speak Chinese. A little." Ever since meeting Jill Young, he'd started picking up Chinese here and there. He hadn't studied for long, but he was a language whiz, so he could handle everyday conversation just fine.
(This chapter isn't finished ^.^ Please click Next Page to continue reading!)
Susan Morrow relaxed instantly, letting out a quiet sigh. "Are you here to ask for directions?"
"Ask for directions?" Jonathan Black was confused. "No, I'm here to see you, Dr. Morrow."
"But this is the OB/GYN clinic!" Susan Morrow couldn't help but laugh, gesturing as she spoke: "Pregnant ladies, babies, you know?"
OB/GYN? Jonathan Black instantly felt awkward. No wonder the receptionist had given him a weird look—he'd only checked the doctor's name and rushed over, not noticing what department it was! Thinking fast, he nodded and went with it: "Yes, I know, OB/GYN, that's right. My wife—she's pregnant, not feeling well."
"Oh, I see." Susan Morrow nodded, thinking the foreigner had just gone to the wrong place. "But where's your wife? Why didn't she come?"
"She..." Jonathan Black kept up the act: "She's fine now, I'm just worried about her. I heard pregnant women can have insomnia." With that, he nailed the good husband act—the faces of Susan Morrow and the other doctor instantly softened.
"Ha, you really care about your wife!" The other doctor chimed in, sounding like a young woman.
Susan Morrow said gently, "Don't worry. Pregnant women sometimes lose sleep, but it's not an illness and doesn't need medicine. I'll teach you a head massage technique—just use it when she can't sleep and she'll feel better. Come here, sit closer, I'll show you myself."
Jonathan Black obediently scooted closer.
Susan Morrow placed her ten fingers on Jonathan's head, starting with his temples and gently massaging. Jonathan felt her warm hands had a kind of magic—his mind buzzed like it was electrified. Something deep in his memory surged up, battering at his rational thoughts and leaving him completely dazed.
"You must be about the same age as my son, and already married! When my boy was little and couldn't sleep, I'd do this for him—it always worked. Oh, and I'd sing a song. Since you're visiting China, you might as well learn it too."
"A song?" Jonathan Black stared blankly at Susan Morrow, his nerves shot—he was seeing double.
"That's right, a lullaby for kids. The lyrics are simple, you'll remember them. Listen up." Clearing her throat, Susan Morrow looked at Jonathan with the same gentle eyes she used for children, and started singing as she massaged his head:
Little Swallow, dressed in flowers...
Boom—a thunderclap right overhead, and Jonathan Black's reality shattered. For the first time, wide awake, he saw his own dream.