Chapter 482: Underground Duel Bets

In the brightly lit Military training arena, modeled after a pre-apocalypse gymnasium, the stands were packed with people.

But unlike the flat layout of a stadium, this training ground for Military soldiers resembled a giant bowl buried underground, its sides lined with spirit energy alloy.

To contain the battle’s aftershocks, the deeply buried arena was enclosed by a massive metal cage, rising over seventy meters high.

At a glance, it looked as if a huge ‘birdcage’ had materialized right in the middle of the field.

The vast space and ample height allowed any type of Awakener to unleash their abilities freely.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that with a few modifications, it could host three or four tactical squads battling simultaneously.

…..

“Hey man, the odds are open – you wanna place a bet?”

“The six major Merchant Guilds have teamed up for the opening bet. No one gets cheated, and the funds are secure!”

Weaving through the stands, several furtive Second-Stage Awakened were skillfully pitching their betting odds, persistently enticing anyone interested.

Sitting in the stands, a bald, burly Military Awakener glanced at a Youth who had edged close, and he whispered in curiosity:

“What betting odds?”

“Aren’t you with the Military? How did you get in here?”

No wonder he was suspicious.

This Death Duel was extremely important; aside from high-ranking Military and Authorities, no one else knew about it—after all, it wasn’t something one would announce openly.

Yet judging by the turnout, there were simply too many people inside—especially this Youth, who didn’t seem to belong to the Military at all. Chances are the news had leaked.

After those words, the Youth nearby flashed a grin, as if catching the Burly Man’s implication.

Still, he showed no trace of worry, merely chuckling softly:

“Bro, I know your Military set up this Death Duel, but you didn’t limit the spectators.”

“They claimed it was for internal eyes only.”

“But everyone already knows what this Death Duel is about—those in the know know it well.”

“Relax, if I managed to get in, it means I’ve got connections up the chain, uh…”

Winking conspiratorially, the Youth pointed upward and handed over an electronic tablet:

“Let’s drop that topic.”

“Hey man, aren’t you interested in placing a bet?”

“Odds at 1 to 84!”

“Bet on Yenir winning, and you’ll turn 10,000 Credit Points into 840,000! You won’t see money come by that fast!”

With that, the Youth tapped open the betting panel, looking at the officer before him with anticipation.

Listening to the Youth’s pitch, the bald, burly man was suddenly taken aback, his expression growing oddly unsettled.

My goodness, so it had turned into a ‘prize bet’ situation!

He instinctively wanted to bark a stern reprimand, but then recalled the Youth’s earlier words.

Daring to openly offer odds on even a two-official Death Duel—could it be that these people have bosses pulling the strings?

Seemingly rough but inwardly meticulous, he fell silent for a moment, deciding not to stir up trouble for himself.

Yet, when his gaze fell on the betting pool, his heart skipped a beat.

My goodness!

The total bets on Committee Member Lu winning had surpassed 80 million points!?

With only a few hours until the Death Duel, could it be that everyone present had placed bets!?

Noticing the Burly Man’s sudden change in expression, the Youth smirked inwardly and sweetened the deal:

“Bro, see? It’s absolutely safe!”

“So, what do you say? Wanna bet on our Yenir to win right now? Hey, check out these odds—now it’s 1 to 90!”

“Bet on Yenir winning—10,000 turns into 900,000, 100,000 flips to 9 million! Bro, you can’t miss this chance; it’s an incredible opportunity!”

As the Youth eagerly clamored for a bet on Yenir, the Burly Man’s eyes flashed with a barely perceptible glimmer of interest, only to be replaced by a cold sneer:

“An incredible opportunity?”

“Odds that high? Even fools know it’s just giving money away!”

“What’s this? You want me to bet on Yenir so you can easily profit off my money? Do you take me for a fool?”

His remark laid bare the Youth’s intentions; the Burly Man’s eyes flickered as he hesitated, then, as if making up his mind, he quickly pulled out a Card:

“Ahem, I’m with the Army.”

“When it comes to this, I’m definitely betting on our guys to win!”

“How about this—I bet 100,000 points on Committee Member Lu! I don’t care about the profit; it’s just to give our guy a boost!”

After speaking, the Burly Man remained calm, as if he truly didn’t care about winning or losing.

He had crunched the numbers—although he’d only pocket a little over a thousand points if Committee Member Lu won, the allure of a free profit was too tempting to resist…

Darn, he wasn’t loaded with cash. But if he bets 9 million, he’d snag an extra 100,000, right?

That 100,000 could buy a top-tier piece of Blue-Grade Gear, or even swap for a school beauty—a whole truckful at the very least!

After taking the Burly Man’s card, the Youth muttered under his breath; he hadn’t expected this seemingly simple-minded guy to be such a shrewd calculator.

Besides, this Death Duel held not even a penny’s worth of suspense. Forget odds of 90; no one would bet on Yenir winning even at 10,000 to 1!

Glancing at Lu Tianming’s hefty betting pool, and noticing that Yenir only had a meager 119 points, he began to worry that the Merchant Guild behind him might end up footing the bill.

He had thought someone would wager on Yenir’s previously stellar performance, but it turned out that these high-ranking individuals were shrewd to a fault…

“Hey!”

Noticing the Youth finalizing his bet, the Burly Man suddenly seemed to recall something and abruptly grabbed him:

“You won’t end up without money to pay out, will you!?”

“Since no one’s betting on Yenir, where in the world will you get money to pay us?”

Although his voice was low, the Burly Man’s words caught the attention of several nearby Awakeners looking to place their bets.

Seeing all eyes on him, the Youth chuckled nervously and seized the opportunity to pitch:

“Relax, relax! Our six major Merchant Guilds are in this together—even if they sold their underwear, they’d never run out of cash!”

“Actually, there are other options too—over there, quite a few people have already placed their bets!”

“For example, bet that Yenir lasts over one minute—the odds are 1 to 80! Thirty seconds at 1 to 40, and ten seconds at 1 to 13.2!”

“There are also bets on his injury severity—whether he can break his defense!”

“Swish, swish, swish!”

The Youth rapidly swiped through a myriad of betting options—some even absurd bets on whether Yenir would voluntarily end the Death Duel, perhaps out of fear and fleeing the arena.

“You damn fool! Why didn’t you tell me earlier!?”

The Burly Man snatched the tablet, and seeing that many options offered higher returns than his own bet, he couldn’t help but get angry.

Though Yenir was bound to lose, he noticed that the bet on Yenir lasting at least ten seconds was clearly the most profitable!

He knew Committee Member Lu’s fighting style—Lu Tianming wasn’t one for quick finishes but favored a steady, methodical approach. With caution, maybe that guy would even drag it out for ten seconds before winning!

Seeing the Burly Man nearly lose his temper, the Youth could only grin nervously.

No other choice—for the sake of commissions, he certainly hoped everyone would bet on the simplest option.

Noticing that the Youth didn’t retort, several Awakeners who had gathered wasted no time; after quick glances, they hastily pulled out their stakes and placed their bets.

“I’m in! I’ll bet he lasts at least fifteen seconds—170,000!”

“You’re crazy—fifteen seconds? I bet on ten seconds being the mark! Here, I’m putting 200,000 on ten seconds!”

“Ten seconds? I think it won’t last more than eight! How could Committee Member Lu drag it out? It has to be a quick victory!”

“1.6 million! I’m all in on eight seconds!”

“Holy shit, Wang Lu!? Are you insane!? Where did you get that many Credit Points from!?”

“What do you know? I’m a Third-Stage Awakened—accumulating Credit Points isn’t a problem. Besides, I recently killed a head mutant and have some spare cash!”

Stoked by his emotions, the officer named Wang Lu proudly slammed down his ID Card. Amidst the astonishment of onlookers, he too felt a twinge of nervousness.

As a Third-Stage Awakened, he was well-off—but money in the military was scarce, with resources diverted into equipment and skills. That 1.6 million was equivalent to his company’s rearmament budget!

But if he won, he’d rake in several hundred thousand at least! With money nearly coming for free, how could he not be tempted?

Perhaps spurred by seeing their comrade so willing to bet, several Squad Captains from the Army also felt a surge of excitement.

Not long ago, they had been allocated a batch of spirit energy ore, with instructions to sell them secretly and keep a portion of the profits.

That batch of high-quality spirit energy ore was in high demand—even though they had to hand some over, the higher-ups had sweetened the deal…

But with cash already in hand, passing up a chance to earn a little extra would be foolish, right?

With that thought, the Burly Man—who had bet 100,000 earlier—showed a glimmer of greed. His expression hardened as he quickly swiped out another Card.

“3 million! I’m betting that the kid won’t even withstand a single strike!”

“I believe in Committee Member Lu!!”

After placing his bet, the Burly Man’s eyes turned bloodshot—at that moment, he wished even more that Yenir would lose than Lu Tianming did!