The spotlight fell on No. 17 and his opponent.
Lu Heyang did not pay much attention to what the other fighter looked like. His attention was entirely on No. 17, whose face was still partially covered in paint, with a black lace blindfold covering part of his face.
He was also wearing a collar with a small silver bell hanging from the front, which swung with every step and flashed beneath the lights.
This was an MMA match. No. 17 wore protective fighting gloves over black gloves that extended nearly to his elbows.
His upper body had been deliberately dressed and restrained in an elaborate outfit, while the clothing he wore below was markedly different from ordinary athletic wear.
The entire appearance had clearly been arranged to humiliate and provoke him.
He Wei stared in disbelief.
“I knew Tang Feiyi was twisted, but I didn’t realize he was this twisted. In front of everyone, too…”
While complaining about it, He Wei pulled out his phone and opened the camera.
“No. I’m going to become a boss someday too. Then I’ll rent out an entire venue and have people entertain me.”
“You can do that now.”
Lu Heyang took his phone away and turned off the camera.
“What are you taking pictures of this for?”
“I suddenly understand the appeal of messing with alphas…” He Wei clicked his tongue several times. “The performances at Huyan Residence are pretty twisted too, but they get boring. This is on another level.”
After all, one was a performance meant to entertain guests, while the other was someone enduring humiliation to make a living. There was a fundamental difference.
No. 17 showed almost no expression throughout.
After entering the cage, he glanced toward the seats in the first row before lowering his head.
He looked calm, yet deeply restrained.
Lu Heyang lowered his eyes and adjusted the setting on his wristband, only to realize it was already at the highest level.
He had adjusted it only half a minute earlier, yet he had completely forgotten and was repeating the same action.
The referee blew his whistle.
The surrounding cheers gradually quieted, and the two fighters inside the cage faced each other.
No. 17’s opponent also wore a few decorative items, but by comparison, it was obvious that his were merely symbolic. No. 17 was the one who had been deliberately dressed up for the occasion.
An alpha carrying a professional camera came over to Tang Feiyi and bent down to listen to several instructions.
The alpha nodded, then climbed onto a nearby table and began recording the fight inside the cage.
“Fucking pervert. He’s even recording it.”
He Wei cursed again, as if he had not just tried to take pictures himself.
Lu Heyang glanced at the cameraman before turning his attention back to the cage.
From the moment No. 17 made his first move, everyone knew he would win.
Unlike his previous two matches, when he had started defensively and focused on blocking, this time he attacked decisively from the beginning.
One punch drew blood from his opponent.
“Looks like No. 17 wants to finish quickly,” Gu Yunchi said.
But his opponent kept dodging and retreating, refusing to engage him directly, as though deliberately trying to make No. 17 stay in the ring as long as possible.
He circled around the cage, repeatedly provoking No. 17 with taunting gestures and expressions.
No. 17 stood in the center of the cage, his shoulders, back, and limbs tense, every movement controlled and powerful.
“He’s not a professional,” He Wei realized as well.
His brows furrowed.
“He was obviously sent by Tang Feiyi just to provoke No. 17.”
Lu Heyang intertwined his fingers.
The thumb of his left hand absently rubbed the webbing of his right hand.
He stared at the cage with his lips pressed together, a sharp line forming from his chin along his jaw.
Inside the cage, No. 17 seized his opportunity.
A straight punch smashed into his opponent’s nose.
As the opponent staggered and struggled to regain his balance, No. 17 spun around and immediately followed with a powerful spinning kick.
The opponent was sent flying sideways and slammed hard into the cage wall.
The audience erupted into cheers.
The opponent slumped against the fence.
Perhaps feeling humiliated by how badly he had been beaten, he glared viciously at No. 17 and spat out an insult, blood and saliva spraying from his mouth.
From the first row, which was extremely close to the cage, Lu Heyang could clearly read his lips.
He Wei saw it too.
He immediately stood up and cursed.
“Fuck! The one who can’t accept losing is the real piece of trash!”
But No. 17 remained remarkably calm.
He walked over, grabbed his opponent by the hair, and dragged him toward the center of the fighting area.
He then pinned him down and delivered several punches.
He Wei’s anger immediately dropped when he saw the scene.
“He’s completely dominating him…”
The opponent was beaten until he could barely stop coughing, but despite the blood covering his mouth, he actually laughed.
He raised his hand and made a vulgar gesture with his fingers.
No. 17’s chest rose and fell several times.
Then he stood up, grabbed his opponent by the neck, and hauled him to his feet.
After taking several steps, he violently threw him into the fence, smashing his face against the wire mesh and pinning him there.
He held him firmly in place with the same gloved hand he had been fighting with.
Finally, unable to move, the opponent spat out a mouthful of blood.
It shot through the fence and splattered outside the cage.
17 rarely struck this hard, so the scene was undoubtedly extremely thrilling. Amid the audience’s screams, Tang Feiyi’s expression and eyes could no longer be described as excitement; it was practically a kind of nervous madness. He blew a kiss toward No. 17, laughed loudly, and applauded, as though he was delighted to see him pushed to such a ruthless extent.
It was over—No. 17 released his hand. He did not look toward the audience at all. Without turning his head back, he pushed open the octagonal cage door and walked through the fighters’ passage back to the backstage area.
The moment his figure disappeared at the entrance of the passage, Tang Feiyi left the VIP seats and walked back along the same small path they had come through.
“He’s definitely going to find No. 17.” He Wei looked regretful. “I can understand Tang Feiyi. You saw how handsome and sexy No. 17 looked in the ring just now. Even though he’s an alpha.”
Lu Heyang was still looking at the octagonal cage. Inside, the alpha who had vomited blood was being carried away on a stretcher.
“Even though No. 17’s face was painted like that, he’s definitely very good-looking.” He Wei continued talking incessantly. “He’s an S-rank alpha, too. Tang Feiyi really hit the jackpot!”
“And No. 17 just finished fighting such a brutal match. His pheromones are probably unstable right now, which is the best time for that kind of thing… And look at what he’s wearing! Tell me, who could resist, huh? Right?”
With a click, the cap of the mineral-water bottle in Lu Heyang’s hand fell to the floor and rolled beneath the seats, disappearing from sight. He stared at the floor for a while, then took a sip of water.
He Wei was about to make some even more outrageous guesses when Lu Heyang suddenly stuffed the remaining half bottle of water into his hand and stood up.
“What are you doing now? Going outside for some air or making a phone call?”
“Looking for the bottle cap,” Lu Heyang replied.
“?”
Before He Wei could react, Lu Heyang had already walked into the aisle. He Wei could only shout after his back, “Be careful! Don’t go anywhere too secluded!”