Three bulky men collapsed in the arena in front of countless spectators.
Blood gushed out, vaguely mixed with a milky, viscous fluid.
A stench wafted over, and Chloe silently covered her nose.
After a while, thunderous cheers erupted from the stands.
"Brilliant!!!"
"I bet 500 bucks, these kids are definitely no ordinary people!"
"Who cares! I just made a killing betting on these kids to win, hahaha!"
The battle ended, and the arena gates reopened.
Chloe was a bit drained, leaning on Anderson's arm to stand.
Daniel wailed beside her:
"I feel like my legs are about to snap, unless someone can carry me."
Qin Huaibei across from him instantly turned away.
Daniel burst into a torrent of curses.
They had intended to stride out of the arena with swagger, but the three corpses lying before them, their bodies still warm, made everyone nauseous at the mere sight.
Daniel's legs weren't about to snap; he was just weak-kneed.
These youngsters had never faced death before, and this was their first time.
Their first kill, by their own hands.
Even the usually unflappable Qin Huaibei and Katherine had turned slightly green.
After a long pause, Katherine started dry heaving.
As if a strange switch had been flipped, Qin Huaibei and Daniel could no longer hold it in, stumbling to the side to vomit.
But nothing would come out.
After all, they hadn't eaten anything since arriving on this Barren Planet.
Daniel turned around, pale and drained, and noticed the composed Chloe, asking in surprise:
"Don't you feel sick?"
Chloe gave him a faint smile: "I'm fine."
She had seen far more gruesome scenes in the apocalypse; the only thing sickening her here was the ugly human nature.
At that moment, the staff finally came in and led Chloe and the others out of the arena.
Once outside, Chloe immediately felt the air was much fresher.
She said wearily, "The air on this Barren Planet is quite captivating."
Daniel pinched his nose: "Yes, infinitely better than in that foul arena."
The staff wiped the grime off their faces and bodies, and removed the bracelets suppressing their racial powers.
Earlier in the arena, Chloe had not used her Perception, relying purely on her physical abilities and combat skills.
It made her feel like she was back in the old days for a moment.
As Chloe was lost in thought, her cheek was gently tapped.
She snapped out of it, looked up, and found Anderson had replaced the staff in wiping her face.
The young man's expression was deep and calm.
Come to think of it, Anderson had been the most collected throughout the entire battle.
Chloe looked at him but didn't ask in the end.
Perhaps the training of Vampire Death Warriors was far harsher than she imagined.
After cleaning up, the staff led them up to the premium viewing area where Hurst was.
As they climbed the stairs, Chloe heard someone calling them "kids."
She frowned and looked over to find the spectators were the ones hurling that insult.
At some point, all the audience in the stands had turned around, staring intently at the youngsters ascending the stairs.
Their eyes brimmed with fanaticism.
Noticing Chloe's gaze, they grew even more excited, erupting into cheers.
They pushed and shoved, loudly chanting "kids" like zealous cult followers.
Everyone: "..."
Daniel muttered, "If I could, I'd prefer they call me by my name instead of 'kid.' Doesn't sound good at all."
This moniker was completely unflattering.
Chloe averted her eyes, no longer sparing the stands a glance.
These lawless folk who glorified absolute power and bloodshed were ultimately not her kind of people.
Their admiration and fanaticism for the youngsters was only temporary; if someone else came and beat them down, they would feel no pity and quickly switch their allegiance.
Under the staff's lead, they soon left the stairs and arrived at the premium viewing area out of the audience's sight.
Hurst appeared before them, dressed in his usual suit and tie, even holding a useless cane for show.
He smiled at the victorious youngsters, then spread his arms wide in an exaggerated gesture and exclaimed:
"Befitting the champions of the Joint Military Academy Competition! Your teamwork was impeccable, able to defeat those foolish brutes even without your powers."
"My dears, I'm honored. Would you grace me with a warm embrace?"
Chloe: "..."
She slowly rolled up her sleeves as she approached Hurst.
Seeing this, Hurst's eyes instantly lit up, gazing at Chloe expectantly as he said:
"Ah, I knew Miss Chloe was a gracious lady..."
Before he could finish, Chloe reached him and mercilessly swung her fist at his face!
"Ah--"
Chloe pummeled Hurst with punch after punch, her expression blank.
She held nothing back, the youngster fresh from the kill in the arena exuding a ferocious aura and reeking of blood.
Hurst was beaten until his eyes swelled, caught completely off guard.
It wasn't until the staff hurried over and pulled Chloe away that Hurst finally snapped out of his daze.
He gingerly touched the stinging wounds on his face, looking utterly bewildered.
Hurst turned to Chloe.
Chloe stood among the other youngsters, her gaze ice-cold.
Seeing Hurst still had the gall to look at her, Chloe let out a cold scoff:
"You're trash, Hurst."
"The only money you can make is from these scum on this Barren Planet."
Her words left the staff members holding their breath, inching back.
The atmosphere was excruciatingly awkward.
Hurst dabbed at the blood on his face with a handkerchief from his breast pocket.
To everyone's surprise, he showed not a hint of anger, only sighing:
"You never fail to surprise me, Miss Chloe," Hurst said with a smile. "But you're right, I am trash."
"However, trash has money, trash possesses the most abundant wealth on this Barren Planet. No one dares to defy the orders of trash."
Upon hearing these words, Chloe felt a surge of inexplicable anger rise within her.
She clenched her fists and tried to break free from the restraints of the staff to land another punch on Hurst.
Unfortunately, before she could reach Hurst, a familiar presence came from behind.
Ren Yunying's voice was as stern as ever: "Chloe, stop this nonsense."
