Vernon felt his body surging with energy like never before.
"Bastards...!" In a flash, Vernon sprinted towards Roy's ten henchmen, the gangster leader, throwing punches at their necks, napes, and other vital points, taking down three of them instantly.
They had no time to react as Vernon attacked suddenly and moved with the agility of a snake.
"Damn it!" Behind him, three men ambushed Vernon, slashing their katanas to cut him down.
Roy watched the fight from his car in shock. Vernon moved like a seasoned boxing coach.
Vernon ducked to avoid the vicious slashes, then landed punches to the stomachs of the two men, sending them sprawling. He then kicked the neck of another, making him groan in pain.
Seeing this, the remaining four thugs were stunned. In less than five minutes, Vernon had taken them all down with ease.
No ordinary man could defeat them so quickly, especially since these thugs were trained fighters.
"Who is he really?" Roy muttered in shock from inside the car, while Ellen looked on in awe.
"Come on, step up." Vernon raised both fists, glaring fiercely at the four remaining men.
Though terrified, they fired their guns at Vernon, but he dodged the bullets and darted towards them.
In the blink of an eye, Vernon was standing near them, delivering punches to their ribs until the sound of cracking bones filled the air.
They collapsed to the ground, groaning in pain. Unsatisfied, Vernon stomped on their bodies, laughing maniacally. He had never felt so free as he did now. He could finally unleash his fists against his enemies.
The sound of applause interrupted Vernon. He turned to see Roy grinning at him from the car.
"Where's Ellen?!"
"I want to offer you a deal."
"Where's Ellen?!" Vernon shouted angrily.
"I'll return the woman if you agree to fight tonight. You'll get your girlfriend back and millions of dollars."
"Money?" Vernon hesitated. He was immediately tempted. He desperately needed money to pay his apartment rent.
"What do you mean?"
"My boss needs a fighter for a boxing match tonight. He'll pay you millions."
Vernon's fighting spirit reignited upon hearing this. It had been so long since he had wanted to fight in the ring.
Roy grinned slyly as he saw the expression on Vernon's face. "So, do you agree?"
"Where's the place?" Vernon asked flatly.
The man handed him a business card with an address and a name on it.
"Show up at 11 PM."
Vernon looked at the card with newfound confidence.
'It's time for me to rise again.'
***
Time flew by quickly. It was now exactly 11 PM.
He approached a seemingly ordinary nightclub. "Is this the place?"
Vernon looked back and forth between the business card and the building. The rundown place looked more like a bar than a boxing ring. The paint was peeling, posters plastered the walls, and cans littered the yard.
Reluctantly, Vernon stepped inside. Only two men were hanging around the place.
"Welcome to Sundown Club." An old woman greeted him, her face dull and her clothes shabby.
'What kind of place is this?' Vernon muttered in frustration. He felt deceived.
He cursed himself for letting that man escape with Ellen.
'Oh, shit!'
"Is there something I can help you with, young man?"
Vernon's daydream was interrupted by the old woman's friendly voice. "Uh," he cleared his throat. "I want to meet Mr. Robinson."
The old woman was shocked. "Who are you?" Her once friendly voice turned wary. "Why do you want to meet him?!"
Vernon handed her the card. "Someone told me to come here to fight."
"You're a fighter?" The woman was shocked, looking Vernon up and down with a mocking expression.
"Yes," Vernon answered a bit curtly. "Where is he? Take me to him. I have important business besides this fight."
"Follow me."
Vernon followed the old woman to a rickety door. When she opened it, Vernon was surprised to find a secret corridor.
"Where are you taking me?" Vernon interrogated her. A feeling of unease washed over him as they walked through the dimly lit corridor.
"Just be quiet. You'll find out soon."
Annoyed, Vernon complied. When they reached the end of the corridor, there was a door adorned with a dragon carving, guarded by four burly, tattooed men.
"Open the door," Emma ordered. Her voice was full of authority, and her aura became intimidating.
The four men eyed the young man standing behind Emma. "Who is he?"
"He's a special guest of Mr. Robinson."
They were all surprised, leaving Vernon confused.
"Are you sure you have the right guy?" sneered one of them. "His body isn't even bigger than my thigh."
"At first, I doubted it too, but he has Mr. Robinson's business card." Emma handed the card over.
One of the guards opened the card and revealed a small chip embedded within.
"It's genuine."
Vernon was shocked to see the tiny object tucked inside the card.
After verifying, the guards opened the door and allowed them to enter.
Vernon's eyes widened as he saw a crowd of people surrounding a boxing ring. They were laughing and growling with excitement as they watched two men brawl in the ring.
Vernon shuddered at the brutality of the fight. They weren't just using their fists, but also their legs.
"Is this a wrestling match?" Vernon asked, but Emma didn't respond.
Vernon continued watching the fight from outside the ring. The two muscular men fought fiercely, even hitting and kicking each other's forbidden areas.
A loud bell rang, signaling the end of the match.
The referee immediately checked on one of the fighters, who was lying limp and covered in blood.
"The fighter from Mr. Lowren's team is dead!" The referee raised the hand of the winner. "This bet is won by Mr. Eric's team!"
"What?! Dead?!" Vernon froze. His legs felt weak.
"Didn't Roy tell you about this fight?"
Vernon shook his head.
"Unlike official boxing or wrestling matches, in this club, you have to kill your opponent to be declared the winner."
"That's insane! It's illegal! You could get caught by the police!"
"That's why the club owner hides the ring in a secret location, idiot."
"Finally, you made it, champ." Roy greeted Vernon with a friendly smile. "Mister, this is the guy I mentioned earlier."
A plump, bald man scrutinized Vernon's appearance skeptically. "Are you sure he's a fighter?! I swear I'll kill you if you make me lose all my money in this bet!"
"Don't worry. I saw with my own eyes as he took down all my men with a single punch and kick!" Roy exclaimed confidently.
"I don't agree!" Vernon interjected. "I don't want to fight!"
Roy glared angrily. "But you already agreed to it! You can't back out!"
"No one controls my life!"
"Really?" Ricardo grinned slyly. "How about this?" He turned to a giant glass box in the corner of the room that contained a woman.
"Vernon! Help me!" Ellen banged on the glass, crying hysterically.
"Ellen?!" Vernon was shocked, then glared at Roy and Ricardo. "What did you do to her?! Let her go! She'll suffocate!"
"Fight and win this match, and you'll get your woman back!"
Vernon grabbed Ricardo's collar roughly. "How dare you threaten me, bastard! If I can take down those thugs, I can kill you right now!"
"If you kill me, that woman won't survive either."
Vernon turned as Ellen screamed in fear. Suddenly, water started pouring into the glass box, slowly rising to her ankles.
"Vernon! Help me!" Ellen screamed in despair.
"Shit!" Vernon felt torn. Ellen would die if he refused the bastard's demands.
"So, boy? Will you fight, or will you watch your girlfriend drown slowly in front of you?"
"Fine! I'll fight!" Vernon had no other choice. There was no point in avoiding it. No matter what he chose, death awaited him.
Whether it would be his enemy, himself, or Ellen who died.
At least one of them had to survive.
"Come on, follow me."
Vernon followed Roy to the ring, stripping down to just his shorts.
An attendant handed him boxing gloves, and Vernon climbed into the ring.
Not long after, a muscular man entered. His body was many times larger than Vernon's.
Vernon tensed up. His legs trembled slightly. Unfortunately, there was no way out.
"Vernon! Help me!"
Vernon turned to Ellen. The water was rising higher, now reaching her knees. The box she was trapped in wasn't very large, so it would only take a few minutes for the water to completely submerge her.
'I don't have much time. How am I supposed to beat this guy in just a few minutes?'