Chapter 404 - 362: The Use of the Detection Glasses, the First Bare-Knuckle Fight

’Who would have thought he’d actually want to place a bet today.’

The staff member smiled. "No problem. Anyone here can place a bet, but the minimum is ten thousand USD!"

Wei Wu nodded, then pulled a ten-thousand-dollar chip from his pocket. "I’m betting on Iron Fist to win!"

Then, Wei Wu turned to Da Xiong and the others. "Aren’t you guys going to support our compatriot? I think he’s definitely going to win!"

Hearing Wei Wu’s words, Da Xiong and Caviar chuckled, each pulling out a ten-thousand-dollar chip and placing it on the staff member’s tray.

Wu Yun asked in surprise, "When did you guys get chips?"

"Just now, when we came in. There was someone at the entrance handling the exchange," Da Xiong explained.

A hesitant Wang Hao also took a chip from his bag. "I’ll bet on Iron Fist, too."

Wu Yun didn’t stop them. From his perspective, it was an 80 to 90 percent sure win. Besides, with the bonuses they had all split over the last few days, a loss wouldn’t be too painful.

Takeda Nobuyoshi looked at Wu Yun’s entourage and bodyguards with some surprise, but the surprise vanished when he recalled the more than twenty million Wu Yun had won the day before.

Takeda Nobuyoshi’s two tattooed bodyguards had wanted to bet, but they immediately dropped the idea when they heard the minimum was ten thousand dollars.

「A few minutes later.」 The host was back on stage, introducing the referee and the ringside judges for the day.

He then announced the start of the first match.

Number 1, Pirates, and Number 16, Iron Fist, were the first to enter the ring.

Both were bare-chested, revealing lean, powerful muscles.

Pirates was visibly a head taller than Iron Fist. Combined with the weight difference, he certainly looked to have the advantage.

Their appearance ignited the crowd’s passion. The audience grew ecstatic, shouting support for their favored fighters.

However, the vast majority were supporting Pirates.

"Pirates, smash that Iron Fist’s head in!"

"Pirates, KO him!"

"Pirates! Waste him!"

...

Iron Fist subconsciously glanced up to the second floor, where he saw Wu Yun give him a fist pump and a nod. Iron Fist nodded back slightly in response.

Despite the surrounding crowd mostly cheering for his opponent, Iron Fist seemed completely unaffected. He simply stood his ground, loosening his shoulders and rolling his neck.

Wu Yun noticed a group of blond-haired, blue-eyed people standing by the ring—likely Pirates’ friends, family, or coaching team. Iron Fist, on the other hand, appeared to be completely alone.

The nearby Bashir smiled at Wu Yun. "Wu, look at that physique. I don’t know much about fighting, but even I know how important weight is! As much as I want to support your countryman, I still think Pirates is more likely to win!"

Wu Yun knew Bashir had just bet one million USD on Pirates.

However, Wu Yun and Bashir had only just met. If he were to insist that Iron Fist was a sure winner, Bashir wouldn’t have believed him anyway, so he simply watched him place the bet.

So Wu Yun just smiled. "Bashir, let’s just watch and see! As a compatriot, I have to support him unconditionally. If he gets eliminated in this round, it just means his skills weren’t up to par! I can afford to lose a million or two."

"Alright, let’s watch the match!"

In the ring, both fighters assumed an orthodox stance. After the referee signaled the start with a downward chop of his right hand, the two took a synchronized step forward, touched left gloves, and then quickly pulled back to create distance.

They then advanced slowly, eyes locked on each other.

Suddenly, Pirates threw the first punch. Taking advantage of his height and reach, he shot out a quick left jab.

Iron Fist didn’t attack, simply dodging the jab with ease. As he felt Pirates’ fist graze past his ear, a smile spread across his face. To some in the audience, his black mouthguard looked menacing.

’This one’s in the bag,’ Iron Fist thought. Pirates had the advantage in height, reach, and weight, but his speed was seriously lacking. He could dodge him with ease.

The moment the smile appeared, Iron Fist sidestepped with light footwork, dodging a left and then a right straight punch.

To the untrained eye, however, this looked like Iron Fist was scared and afraid to attack, and the crowd began to jeer.

"Yeah, that’s it! Pirates, kick his ass!"

"Pirates! Smash his head in!"

Wu Yun watched the audience members below waving their betting slips in the air and couldn’t help but smile.

Takeda Nobuyoshi, next to him, wore a grave expression. As an expert, he knew exactly what Iron Fist’s dodges meant.

Amidst the crowd’s roars, the situation in the ring changed in an instant. Protecting his head with both hands, Iron Fist bobbed and weaved to dodge another straight punch from Pirates, then closed the distance with a light hop-step, breaking into his opponent’s pocket.

Just as Pirates instinctively moved to wrap his arms around Iron Fist for a takedown, he found Iron Fist was faster. As Pirates lowered his arms, Iron Fist seized the opportunity, landing a rear uppercut squarely on the chin his opponent had exposed by leaning forward.

Iron Fist’s assault wasn’t over. After the uppercut, he immediately clasped his hands behind Pirates’ neck, driving his left knee straight into his opponent’s face.

The experienced Iron Fist felt Pirates’ body go limp against him and knew the fight was over. He stepped back, and Pirates crumpled to the canvas.

The referee rushed in and, without even needing a count, waved his hands to stop the fight. He then moved to Iron Fist’s side, raised his right arm, and bellowed, "Winner, Iron Fist!"

Curses immediately erupted from the crowd.

"Fuck, what kind of Pirates was that! More like a Sea Monkey! Damn it, my hundred thousand dollars just went down the drain!"

"Fuck! Fuck! That Pirates is total trash!"

...

Of course, some were grieving while others were celebrating, but the casino was undoubtedly the biggest winner.

Wu Yun chuckled as he accepted his initial stake back from the staff member, along with a million dollars in winnings chips.

Wu Yun turned to Takeda Nobuyoshi, whose face had darkened. "Sorry, but that’s one win for me!"

Bashir, standing nearby, sounded resigned. "I guess you really can’t judge these fights on appearances alone!"

Wu Yun smiled at Bashir. "It’s true that fights are hard to call. Unless there’s a massive skill gap, there’s always a chance for an upset, though it’s rare."

After speaking, Wu Yun looked up at the television. On the tournament bracket, Pirates’ photo had been dimmed.

Iron Fist’s photo now occupied a spot in the second round, though his opponent was still a question mark.

They would only find out after the winner of the second match was decided.

And so, Wu Yun turned his attention to Number 2, Assassin, and Number 15, Jackal.

Number 2 was a tall white man. At 185 cm and 85 kg, he looked somewhat slender compared to his opponent.

Number 15, Jackal, was a Big Black from Africa. He was 180 cm tall and also weighed 85 kg.

According to Wu Yun’s detection, there was a definite skill gap between the two. Assassin was only a Master of Boxing; his Wrestling and jiu-jitsu were merely at a beginner level.

Jackal, on the other hand, not only had significantly higher strength and endurance than Assassin, but his Wrestling was at the Master Level, and his Free Fighting was proficient.

Therefore, Wu Yun decisively chose Jackal to win, writing Jackal’s name on the slip for his bet with Takeda Nobuyoshi.

After they had both written down their picks, the staff member announced, "Mr. Wu, Mr. Takeda, you have both chosen Jackal to win!"

"Will you also be placing a bet with the casino?" the staff member asked, pointing to the match odds displayed on the overhead television.

"Assassin to win: 1.4. Jackal to win: 1.4. Draw: 2.0."

Wu Yun smiled. "Then I’ll bet on Jackal to win, as well! One million!"

This time, Takeda Nobuyoshi silently produced a check for five hundred thousand. "Five hundred thousand. On Jackal to win."

The staff member skillfully recorded the information, quickly filling out the betting slip and entering it into the system.

Seeing that both Wu Yun and Takeda had bet on Jackal, Bashir also waved a check in the air. "I’ll put one million on Jackal!"

After Wei Wu and the others collected their initial stakes, they used the ten thousand dollars they had just won to bet on Jackal as well.

While Wu Yun’s group was betting this way, the sentiment downstairs was polarized. The number of people betting on either fighter was roughly equal, though a few had also placed bets on a draw.

With the sound of the bell from the timekeeper’s table, the second match officially began.