The Animals were split into many tribes, each like its own settlement, sometimes clashing violently with one another.
The tribe Arthur and Jackie had stumbled into called themselves the Savage Tribe.
The name fit—unkempt, filthy, some barely clothed, they looked more beast than human.
The boxing match raging below had them in a frenzy, blood surging with excitement. They roared like maniacs, tangled hair thrashing under the lights.
Jackie had been on the defensive the whole time, but his grit and iron fists were slowly winning him cheers.
The noise around the pit blurred together, impossible to tell who they supported anymore, but the raw energy only fueled the fighters below.
Through the narrow gap in his guard, Jackie's eyes tracked Rose's every move.
Since her first probing strike, he had barely thrown a counter.
He knew she was armored—top-grade Subdermal Armor under her skin. Swinging blindly would do nothing but drain his stamina.
So when her fist came roaring in, Jackie let his guard shift just a few centimeters forward, practically inviting the blow. Then he stepped back half a pace, bleeding off the impact.
"Coward! Throw a punch already!"
"Spineless bastard! You're making us all look weak!"
The taunts echoed down, but Jackie's eyes stayed cold, locked on his opponent's rhythm. He kept absorbing, deflecting, waiting.
Another step back, another punch parried—he could feel it now. She was slowing.
Punches, like blunt weapons, still carried shock through Subdermal Armor. Muscles and fat absorbed it, but only while fresh and taut.
Once exhaustion set in, the defense weakened.
And that was what Jackie was waiting for—her fatigue.
Frustrated by his slippery defense, Rose snarled after a heavy swing, backing up two steps.
"Damn it! What a waste of that body!"
She coiled her right arm tight, then thundered forward like a raging rhino, the ground trembling beneath her charge.
Her fist swung down, massive as a wrecking ball, aiming to smash Jackie flat.
The gust of air alone felt strong enough to tear flesh from bone.
But Jackie didn't retreat. He drove forward, shoulder tucked, rising into the arc of her arm.
Rose was no rookie. Rougher than Jackie, sure, but still a seasoned boxer. Mid-swing, she twisted, driving her punch downward, fist crashing toward him.
Jackie didn't flinch. His right arm shielded his vitals. His left hand shot up.
A boxer's lead fist shows strength. The off-hand, used right, ends fights.
His left hook came rising unseen, time itself holding its breath.
Her punch slammed him down, one knee hitting the ground—but his own fist crashed flush into her jaw.
Rose's face rippled. Her massive frame lifted and crashed backward.
For a heartbeat, the whole place froze.
The Sasquatch seemed suspended in mid-air.
Then—thud.
Silence shattered. The arena erupted in cheers so loud the walls seemed ready to collapse.
The Animals worshiped strength with a blind devotion that bordered on madness.
A massive man, nearly as large as Rose, leapt from the viewing platform into the pit.
He grabbed Jackie's arm, raised it high, and roared:
"Tonight's victor is—Jackie Welles!"
His voice cracked with excitement, louder than Jackie himself.
The crowd's cheers crashed down like a tidal wave.
Arthur shoved his way through and dropped into the pit.
Jackie was already on his feet, rubbing the arm that had taken Rose's last punch, his face twisted in pain.
He spotted Arthur, freed one hand, and raised his fist.
"How's that, hermano?
Half your boxing coach now, eh? Pretty professional?"
Arthur patted his shoulder.
"Just glad you're not dead. I was already reaching for my comm to call emergency."
Leaving him with that, he walked to the Sasquatch lying dazed on the ground.
She groaned, starting to come around.
The Animals weren't just brutal—they could take a beating too.
Jackie came over and hauled her upright.
She blinked hard, shook her massive head, and stared at him.
"Fuck... never thought I'd lose..."
Grabbing her hair, she tugged at her scalp as if trying to rip the buzzing out of her skull.
"But fair's fair. The stuff's yours."
She staggered to her feet, massive body swaying, and grabbed the yellow ladder.
Metal screeched as they all climbed out of the pit and followed her deeper into the factory.
The place wasn't big, and its layout was simple. Before long, they reached what looked like a warehouse.
Boxes were stacked in messy heaps, almost all stamped with Biotechnica's logo.
Large ones, small ones—the haul was varied.
Several toppled crates lay wide open, their contents long gone.
"Boss, should be here."
The big man who had raised Jackie's arm earlier stepped forward, sweeping aside empty boxes to reveal a large, black metal crate beneath.
"This one. Just hunks of useless scrap inside, but check it."
He stepped back, leaving it exposed.
The crate was huge—three meters wide, its lid nearly waist-high to Arthur.
It wasn't the same silver as the others, but the Biotechnica logo stamped across it left no doubt.
Arthur placed his hand on the latch, flipped it open, and lifted the lid.
...
(70 Chapters Ahead)
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