Chapter 7: Big Mac vs. Ironhead
"Big Mac remains undefeated—will his next opponent finally put an end to his reign?"
"Do you all want to see more?"
Su Ye hadn't even entered the ring yet, and the announcer was already hyping up the crowd.
"The next victim—if he lasts three minutes in the cage, he'll win $3000!"
The crowd burst into cheers. The $3000 prize wasn't the highlight—the cage was!
Unlike the previous matches, which had an open ring where fighters could give up by jumping out, this match would take place in a cage.
Once inside, no one could leave until the referee declared it over—no surrender.
This kind of fight-to-the-death scenario was exactly why people loved about watching underground matches.
"Big Mac! Big Mac! Big Mac!"
The cheers grew louder again.
But the announcer wasn't done yet.
"If he survives five minutes in the cage, he'll win $10,000!"
$10,000 for lasting five minutes—the prize amount instantly caught everyone's attention.
Especially those who hadn't signed the bonus agreement; they looked ready to cause a commotion, as if they'd have lasted more than half a minute themselves.
"If he lasts ten minutes in the cage, he'll get $50,000—and the organizers will add an extra $50,000!"
After hearing this last announcement, the crowd actually calmed down. Cheers faded, and many even began cursing the arena organizers.
"What's this crap? No one can last three minutes against Big Mac! What's the point of offering $100,000 for ten minutes? Waste of time!"
"Stop wasting time! Start already! Forget the $100,000—we just want to see him die!"
"Who's the next victim? Get him out here already, motherf**er!"*
Amid the crowd's shouting, the announcer took control again.
"If he survives ten minutes, the $100,000 prize will go to the terrifying, lethal... Ironhead!"
As the announcer gestured, Su Ye entered the ring, wearing a casual athletic hoodie and an Iron Man helmet.
The announcer was hilarious—Ironhead was such a ridiculous nickname, it left people speechless.
Seeing his somewhat skinny frame, the crowd enthusiastically greeted him with countless thumbs-downs and middle fingers.
Around the walkway, women dressed like characters from Su Ye's gray cards hurled all kinds of insults.
"Big Mac's gonna twist your head off!"
"You better not beg for mercy!"
"We'll tear you apart! You should go cry to your mom first!"
"I'll rip off all three of your legs, Ironhead!"
Four women heckled Su Ye as they surrounded him, while the audience threw popcorn, bras, and other random objects from the stands.
The audience in these underground arenas where wild; throwing things was just the beginning. Chants of "Kill him! Kill him!" echoed from the stands.
Luckily, Su Ye was prepared. With his Iron Man helmet on, he barely felt the objects hitting him.
Madness and bloodlust filled everyone's hearts.
Their mania made Su Ye uncomfortable, but he didn't mind taking money from an arena and audience like this.
Once Su Ye entered the cage, it was lowered and locked by the guards, making the audience even more excited and frenzied.
Watching others suffer is always the best way to vent emotions.
However, they were a bit annoyed that Ironhead's helmet hid his face, and his calm demeanor was infuriating.
The crowd started shouting in unison again.
"Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!"
In the ring, the hulking Big Mac McGregor tilted his head, looking at Su Ye with a dumb, muscle-headed expression.
"Don't worry, cutie. I'll make sure you last three minutes. And in those three minutes, I'll give you the ultimate, most thorough experience. Trust me!"
Opposite him, Su Ye ignored the big guy's words and pulled something from his pocket.
"Huh? You actually brought a weapon?"
Big Mac McGregor was momentarily stunned, then his face lit up again with excitement and bloodlust.
"Bringing a weapon won't help you. I'll make sure you understand that carrying a weapon will only make you lose in a worse way—and enjoy it even more!"
McGregor taunted, basking in the crowd's cheers.
But then he realized that what Su Ye held wasn't a weapon—it was a book. A comic book, to be exact.
It was Iron Man vs. Captain America, recently published.
People in media and publishing always have sharp instincts. Iron Man had only been in the spotlight for about three months, and they'd already pitted him against the legendary Captain America.
They hadn't obtained permission from Tony Stark, so the comic was technically unauthorized.
But its popularity was unstoppable.
Seeing Su Ye pull out this comic, many people were bewildered. It wasn't because of the comic itself; they'd all seen it.
But still… you're about to get killed, and instead of writing a will, you're reading a comic? Is your brain full of crap?
No, maybe you just don't have one!
"Kill that idiot!"
"Kill him, motherf**ker!"*
"Send that damn fool to his death!"
Big Mac McGregor cracked his knuckles, responding to the crowd's demands as he lunged toward Su Ye.
"Your three minutes start now. Put down the comic and come play, little cutie!"
McGregor was powerful, and his charge wasn't slow. In such a small ring, his tackle almost never failed.
The crowd anticipated his move, waiting for him to seize Ironhead, that skinny opponent, and give him the pummeling and humiliation they loved to watch.
The very thought of it made them eager enough to devour a whole bucket of popcorn.
But no one expected what happened next. Big Mac McGregor's sure-fire tackle ended up hitting the cage wall directly.
He didn't catch Ironhead's body, and as he rubbed his head and turned around, he found that Ironhead had vanished from the ring.
"Damn it! F**k! Get out here!"
McGregor spun around, roaring angrily. How could a person just disappear?
"Look up!"
"Big Mac, check above you!"
Following the audience's shouts, McGregor finally spotted his opponent, Ironhead, somehow already perched ten meters up on the cage's ceiling.
At this moment, there he was, legs hooked onto the cage top, hanging upside down… calmly reading his comic.