Xiao Dou wasn't having a great time in America. She'd come all excited to tag along with Jing Shu, dreaming of big meals and new sights, but reality hit hard. America wasn't anything like she'd imagined. She couldn't just follow her owner around and eat whatever looked tasty. It'd already been three days, and the food here wasn't even as good as what she got back home. Worse, her unreliable owner expected her to find food on her own.
On top of that, Xiao Dou had recently become obsessed with hatching over her eggs, so she wasn't exactly thrilled about the whole "competition" thing Jing Shu kept talking about. Even when Jing Shu promised her an extra chicken leg if she won, she just wiggled her butt lazily, showing no interest.
"It's actually fine if you don't win," Jing Shu said softly.
If chickens had ears, Xiao Dou's would've perked right up.
"It's just that if you lose, you'll, uh... die. Sorry, Xiao Dou. I signed you up for a Ten-Match Death Battle. If you don't make it to the end, you'll get eaten by the other contestants. But if you win, you can eat whatever meat you want. Isn't that your dream? Didn't you always want to try tiger meat, crocodile meat, maybe some leopard too? Win this and you can have them roasted, fried, stewed, however you like!"
The moment she heard that, Xiao Dou's feathers puffed up like she'd been electrocuted. She flapped her wings frantically and clucked in outrage, drawing a few disgusted looks from nearby competitors.
If she could talk, she'd definitely be screaming, "Holy shit, you're screwing me over, you're screwing the chicken!"
Every day, countless professionals and amateurs came to these pet battle arenas. Some brought vicious creatures they'd caught in the wild after the apocalypse, while others showed off rare beasts raised by nobles before the fall.
The fiercer the pet, the more famous it became, and the more people bet on it. Unknown or untested pets couldn't even get a seat in the gambling ring.
Of course, there was another way in—the Ten-Match Death Battle. Win, and you'd become a champion. Lose, and you'd die. It was a high-stakes game loved by the black market. Jing Shu had bet on Xiao Dou to win all ten rounds.
If Xiao Dou made it to the end, the payout would be massive. The profit from one full winning streak was basically what the entire arena earned in a day. Jing Shu knew that if you didn't show strength, people would bully you. But if you did, like now, no one would dare challenge you.
Right now, no one knew who Xiao Dou was, so no one was betting on her to win. But once she revealed her strength, everyone would pile their money on her, which meant almost no profit. That was why Jing Shu said they only had one shot at this.
As for the risks—she'd already thought it through. It wasn't blind faith in Xiao Dou, but in herself. In the few days since she'd arrived in America, her control over the Cube Space had grown stronger. After everything that'd happened, she could feel herself on the verge of breaking through another barrier.
She was confident Xiao Dou could beat them all.
The Ten-Match Death Battle wasn't a daily event. Only the truly strong, or the frauds running rigged fights, dared to join. And those frauds? They were usually Chinese businessmen.
They'd hype up fake matches, plant shills, and lure gamblers to bet big on "guaranteed wins." Then they'd flip the tables and walk away rich. The black market didn't interfere—either they'd been paid off, or they saw no reason to stop something that funneled money right back to them.
You had to admit, Chinese folks could survive and thrive anywhere.
Jing Shu and Xiao Dou were escorted to Arena Zone 3. The dueling pit was a raised platform, about seventy or eighty square meters wide, enclosed in a massive cage streaked with rust, filth, feathers, and dried blood. The smell alone could make you gag.
"Ladies and gentlemen, at this thrilling moment, I announce today's Ten-Match Death Battle challenger! A lady named Jing, and her... chicken. A very powerful battle chicken! Let's give them a big hand!"
Xiao Hei translated from behind.
Jing Shu gave a brief nod and nudged Xiao Dou, who was sulking inside her armor, lying flat on the ground.
The crowd murmured, unimpressed. Some snickered, clearly thinking this was another rigged match. Xiao Hei whispered, "They're betting ten coins that you'll be out in the first round. Someone even wagered a hundred, saying they won't fall for the scam this time."
Jing Shu's lips curved slightly.
In the VIP Lounge.
"Hey, I remember that woman," a man murmured, his hand wandering up Peggy's thigh. "Isn't she that witch everyone's been talking about? Look, she brought her chicken to fight. Think she'll use magic?"
Peggy half-closed her eyes, smiling lazily. "Yeah, that's her. A really fascinating Chinese woman. Check her bets—she's put two thousand black market coins on herself winning all ten rounds."
"Babe, should we bet with her then? If she's that capable..."
Peggy chuckled softly, then whispered, "We can't let her win. If she does, the black market loses at least two hundred thousand. Bet ten thousand that she wins nine times, and we'll end her streak on the ninth. Oh God, imagine how much we'll make then..."
"As for magic?" She smiled. "She won't be able to use it."
"Alright, Miss Mirror, please bring your pet into the arena! Let's see who her first opponent is... Oh! It's the hyena! You guys remember this one, right? It beat a leopard last time! Though it's still injured, looks like its gambler owner doesn't know when to quit, huh?"
The crowd burst into laughter.
"Place your bets! Two minutes before each match begins, the earlier you bet, the higher the odds!"
"Ha! I'm betting everything on the hyena! I saw it fight before, that thing's terrifying!"
"Same here! No matter how tough that chicken is, it's still just a meal for the hyena!"
"Hahaha! That chicken's about to become dinner!"
Jing Shu let Xiao Dou step into the large cage first. The hen strutted around, found a comfy corner, then flopped down and went to sleep. Jing Shu sighed. "Sir, my pet's allowed to bring weapons or gear, right?"
The host burst out laughing. "It's a death match! Of course you can bring weapons! If your chicken can handle a gun, I'll give her all ten wins myself—if she can actually hit anything! Hahaha! But maybe wake her up first, she's about to be someone's lunch!"
"Hahaha!"
Jing Shu smiled politely. "Thanks for the reminder. You might not know this, but my chicken's not like the others. Maybe she really can use a gun."
The betting closed. The hyena limped in, chained and snarling. It bared its teeth and locked eyes on its prey, drool dripping as it caught the scent of delicious, juicy chicken.
Its favorite meal of all.
The gate clanged shut. From that moment on, only the winner would walk out alive.