"I mean no offense, Jilead, my relationship with Bone Shards doesn't affect us, you understand? I'm really happy for you, you've made it, not bad."

John tried to make himself clear.

"I don't know if he wants you to win me over, or if you just want to say good things for the new boss… In any case, those are two different things."

"Of course, chalk it up to me worrying for nothing, there's nowhere you can't make it big!"

Jilead and John exchanged a smile.

[Floor: A49]

The elevator had been hovering for a while.

They ended the sightseeing mode, and the transparent glass reverted to the luxurious interior walls, with holographic projections of ads appearing one after another, continuing to play.

The elevator doors opened.

In front of them was a corridor with light strips installed.

The deafening music made their heads pound.

As they walked, Jilead introduced the place to John.

"What you're about to see is the main economic source of the gang."

The gang was supported by companies.

But that didn't mean they completely relied on them.

They also had their own main businesses and sources of funds.

Apart from contraband trading and criminal activities, almost every gang had businesses out in the open.

Gangs like Black Gold Gang and Xiao Ting Gang, those with size, have an entire industrial chain.

While a gang like the White Motorcycle Gang, created by someone, only has one venue out in the open: [Nocturne Bar].

Then there are even smaller ones, like places such as Oil Drum Street, where a new street force suddenly pops up, and their activity base might even be a supermarket.

Take the Black Gold Gang for instance.

As one of the largest gangs in all of Eden City.

West District housing rentals and low-end property sales are just one of their businesses.

The most profitable business for the Black Gold Gang is the underground boxing matches.

Illegal events spread across streets, not confined to the West District, but covering the whole of Eden City, with each area having notable underground boxing arenas.

They are scattered throughout the city, and it is possible to place bets, with regular boxers having real skills.

Challengers can earn money and increase their street reputation.

These illegal boxing matches are all supported and operated by the Black Gold Gang behind the scenes.

And in their headquarters in the West District, Bolago Club holds legal and professional boxing matches, like the kind you've played, from octagon qualifying matches to the annual finals broadcasted online, etc.

A boxer can rise from a street thug to a ring star, with a complete promotion channel and training system.

The entire industry chain is controlled by the Black Gold Gang.

Up the chain, they can liaise with companies for new prosthetic body models, whether for testing or gaining fame, it's all dealt with in bundles of Euros.

Down the chain are the street matches mentioned before.

The Black Gold Gang invests heavily.

Ensuring the street boxing venues are profitable.

Allowing more people who can fight to earn a living, thus setting them on this path, providing a continuous stream of fresh blood for the Black Gold Gang's business.

Besides real-person bouts, Bolago Club has also added entertainment programs like robot brawls, human vs. machine, and sex doll fights.

The Black Gold Gang even has its own subscription channel.

It is affiliated with ALW company, and has quite good ratings internationally.

This is a legitimate business.

Which supports one of the largest gangs in Eden City.

"The most important finals of the quarter are starting, like the points-based promotion system you played before; the wagers are huge, and the gang's investment is quite extravagant, bringing together the best free boxers in town!"

Jilead led John deeper inside.

Using the light strips on both sides of the corridor, one could see the passageway was a huge ring, with many numbered arches on the inner side.

Each corresponds to a VIP viewing box.

Jilead spread his arms, introduced it to John, and turned, walking backward into an arch.

"Welcome to Bolago's largest indoor boxing arena."

The tsunami of cheers drowned him out; the last few words had to rely on language plugins to read his lips to hear.

The searchlights swept through.

John squinted, raised a hand to shield, gradually seeing everything around him through the multicolored beams:

A dome stretched above.

Massive holographic projections lay outside, repeatedly performing the action of breaking through glass to enter, giving an oppressive feeling of a giant beast descending.

The VIP boxes formed a ring-like grandstand.

John stood at the second-floor railing, looked down, and saw the tiered seats packed with cheering spectators.

They were either Bolago Club members or gamblers and boxing enthusiasts, all having paid a big price for the live viewing tickets.

Black as the tide.

Warm air rushed up, making blood pump with destructive desires rising—surely the air was mixed with stimulants, a common casino tactic, to stir the audience's emotions.

Two boxers were brawling on stage.

The floor was stained with blood.

Every dodge and punch triggered waves of cheers, details magnified, any impressive move getting immediate feedback.

The attention turned concrete at this moment.

John watched, somewhat dazed.

His hand tightened on the railing again and again.

"...Holy shit, compared to this, the octagon I played in was child's play."

His prosthetic eye focused in and out.

From up high, he could see clearly:

The boxers on stage were sweating like rain, the lights reflecting on their vent-laden skin, fluids evaporating and rising above their heads and shoulders, emitting a primitive urge to destroy.

These boxers were great, thrown onto the streets, they'd be top mercenaries.

More interestingly, each had prosthetic models not yet released to the market.

Jilead introduced:

"They both have sponsors, one signed with Kanmer, and the other with Hiti Industry."

High-end boxers have patrons behind them.

John curiously asked. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"What's the benefit of winning?"

"Wow, great question… Custom weapons, big bonuses, and endorsement contracts that transcend classes."

Jilead lit a cigar, swirled the "red dot" in his fingers.

"The luxury cars and penthouse you've been saving up for, they only need to win one crucial boxing match, that's why we never lack fresh blood."

"Alright then."

John shook his head with a wry smile.

"Where are the boxers you've signed?"

He wasn't asking about the Black Gold Gang, but Jingke Heavy Industry behind the scenes.

John didn't believe the company would go for fair competition; managing the matches, there was no reason to not sponsor a couple of boxers to increase the "controllability" of the bets.

Jilead sighed.

"You've hit the nail on the head, see, that's him."

John followed the direction pointed by the lit cigar.

Holographic projections hung around the stadium, all images of dynamic star athlete profiles.

One of them was the largest.

He had terrifying muscle mass, a vicious expression.

"Seras Marsh, nickname, Knuckle Duster."

Jingke Heavy Industry spent money on him, selected an opponent with real buzz, and it's no exaggeration to say that more than half of Eden City's bigwigs are waiting for him to hit the ring and fight.

"The odds are astounding."

Jilead licked his lips.

The thick smoke of the cigar made his mouth sticky.

John watched Jilead contemplate for a while, then spat towards the crowd below.

Saliva stretched out in mid-air.

Some of the liquid broke into tiny beads.

It vanished into the darkness, who knows which unlucky soul it landed on, without any feedback, melting into the fervent and restless stadium like a piece of ice.

"Knuckle Duster got killed, shit, right under the West District's most luxurious apartment building, along with his agent, coach, and bodyguards, gutted."

"Who did it?"

"Do you even need to ask?"

Jilead gestured with his hands.

"The fatal weapon was a Samurai Sword, road cameras, damn it, captured it all, a bunch of Xiao Ting Gang assassins rode in with Glaives, clearly targeted, and took off right after finishing the job."

The star boxer's death.

The betting scene collapsed.

Black Gold Gang, as the organizer, had to take responsibility, not only spending money for compensation but also losing client trust, affecting the subsequent operation of the betting rounds.