Juices Flying Everywhere

Finally, just as the guard's strength was about to give out, at the very moment the mutant's palm was about to crush his skull—time was up!

The guard immediately squeezed through the gap between two bars.

The mutant's vicious strike slammed into the iron railing behind him, the force of the blow sending him sprawling to the ground. He lay there, his heart pounding against his throat, unable to calm down for a long while.

"Congratulations, little brother," Pang Shixi said, personally stepping forward to help him up and pat his shoulder. "Having young people like you in the Federation is our honor!"

The only word in the guard's mind was: "Money."

"Haha, the money's already been transferred to your account."

A victorious grin finally spread across the guard's face. Grabbing his equipment, he silently walked back to his post.

"Who'd have thought Tu Youxiang was this impressive? I thought he was going to die in there for that three hundred thousand."

Qi Tongda's voice came through the earpiece.

Ye Qingcai sighed. "His mother needs another heart transplant."

Down below, the beast-baiting continued.

With the successful example just now—three hundred thousand for ten minutes—many were itching to give it a shot.

Pang Shixi could also see that the difficulty of surviving ten minutes in there wasn't high enough, so he raised the stakes: fifteen minutes for three hundred thousand.

The extra five minutes didn't deter those who had already made up their minds.

Their eyes were filled with nothing but money, completely oblivious to the fact that Tu Youxiang had been at his physical limit by the last minute. Had he been forced to stay even thirty seconds longer, he might not have made it out.

The next guard chose the dagger Pang Shixi had used.

Weighing it in his hand, he stood at the door, brimming with confidence. He stretched his wrists, ankles, and neck, and as the door slid open automatically, he dashed inside.

Having learned from the previous food's escape, the mutant was smarter this time. It no longer lunged with full force every time—that only let its prey slip away and wasted its own energy. Instead, it began studying its prey, holding back a bit on each strike so it could change direction at a moment's notice.

The new guard's stamina was slowly drained, his movements growing sluggish and slow, yet only half the time had passed.

Tu Ran stood on the third floor. From her position, she could see the full picture of the battle inside the iron cage. Because the mutant was enormous, her view was even better than the rich people on the first floor.

"Sister Tu Ran, do you think he'll survive?" Xiao Miao asked nervously.

Since they were in the same group chat, everyone else could hear their conversation too.

"I don't know." Tu Ran's eyes never left the iron cage as she answered bluntly.

Qi Tongda cut in. "Aren't you a Pioneer? You're all chummy with mutants. Can't you even tell?"

Tu Ran pressed her lips together. "If he comes out of the cage right now, he'll live. If he doesn't... I'm afraid he won't get another chance."

After a pause, she added, "The mutant is deliberately draining his stamina."

Young Master Qi was skeptical. "Mutants aren't that smart. If it were really that clever, it wouldn't have kept slamming into the bars and let Tu Youxiang slip away earlier."

"They're evolving too," Tu Ran said calmly.

The guard in the cage couldn't hear their conversation. Even if he could, he wouldn't give up that three hundred thousand Federation credits within reach.

Six more minutes. Just hold on six more minutes.

Only six minutes.

His fantasy ended at the tenth minute.

The mutant's razor-sharp fangs pierced through his belly. Before he could even feel the fear of death, the mutant whipped him up. The moment his body touched the top of the cage, the mutant leaped and swallowed his upper half whole.

As it chewed, a desperate human scream came from its mouth.

The scream stopped quickly, leaving only the crackling sound of bones being crushed. Bloody juices flowed from the corners of its ugly mouth, dripping down its thick neck onto the iron cage floor.

One bite for the upper half, one bite for the lower half.

In just two bites, a living, breathing person disappeared into its stomach.

That meager amount of meat did nothing to ease its hunger. It opened its mouth wide again and roared at Pang Shixi.

As if to say: Give me more. I'm not full yet.

In fact, that's exactly what it said.

Xiao Miao and Qi Tongda, who had witnessed the bloody scene, were left speechless.

They had seen dead people before. Dismemberment cases and the like—they'd handled plenty.

But this was the first time they'd watched a living person get chewed up and eaten by a mutant.

It felt like watching one of their own kind being devoured by a giant fat pig.

"Next!" Pang Shixi's voice sounded like the whisper of a demon, assaulting the eardrums of every guard present.

No one stepped forward.

The guards who had been itching to earn three hundred thousand earlier were now cowering.

For the wealthy spectators who hadn't gotten their fill of entertainment, not having anyone volunteer wasn't what they wanted to see.

"Five hundred thousand! Ten minutes!" Someone shouted.

Some wavered again.

Five hundred thousand.

Ten minutes!

The first two guards had both lasted ten minutes, after all.

"I'll do it!" Another guard stepped forward.

"Crazy, crazy, this whole bunch is crazy!" Young Master Qi couldn't help but exclaim. "People are dying, and they're still throwing themselves in! They'd trade their lives for money—no regard for their own safety!"

"You're a young master. Of course, this kind of money doesn't matter to you," Zhou Ming, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke up. Five hundred thousand was no small sum for him either, and he felt a faint stirring of temptation. But he had a clear understanding of his own abilities—besides sniping, he was mediocre at everything else.

"They still need to live to spend it!" Young Master Qi said indignantly. He then looked over at Tu Ran, who was about twenty-some meters away, and reminded her with concern, "You're poor, sure, but don't go charging in for this money either. This young master doesn't want to see you splattered all over the place."

Tu Ran's forehead sprouted black lines. Splattered all over the place? What kind of twisted way to put it was that?

While they were talking, that guard met his end.

The mutant's palm slammed into his abdomen like a flyswatter hitting a fly. Instantly, his organs went flying, juices splattering everywhere.

The gap between the iron bars was wide. Blood mixed with the yellow, unidentified fluids of his internal organs sprayed in all directions. The "God" statue hanging at the top of the hall couldn't escape the splash—its silver body was now stained with filth, and the deity's half-lidded, all-disdaining expression instantly turned into one of pure disgust.

Fortunately, the rich people were seated far away and weren't caught in the blast.

This time, the guards were completely disheartened.

"Seven hundred thousand. Ten minutes."

"Nine hundred thousand! Last ten minutes!"

"One million Federation credits! Ten minutes!"

"..."

No matter how tempting the conditions the rich tossed out, not a single guard stepped forward.

The mutant in the cage was still roaring, facing Pang Shixi, spittle mixed with human remains splattering onto Pang Shixi's body. He took a step back.

The rich people's excitement was running high, but with no guards willing to go in, that wasn't what Pang Shixi wanted to see.

He suddenly pointed at Tu Ran, who stood on the third floor.