Super Soldier

Chapter Ten: Fight to the Death

There was no choice. It turned out that the First Canteen had a few fighters, but they had all been severely injured by Lin Fei over the past few days. In comparison, bringing his cellmate, the chubby man, into the ring seemed like a more stable choice. At least he wouldn’t dare to make trouble—after all, they shared a cell, and he didn’t have the courage to go against him.

Lin Fei began to persuade his despondent, sobbing cellmate while trying to learn the rules of the deathmatch arena for tonight's battle.

From his cellmate’s words, Lin Fei discovered that the so-called deathmatch arena had no rules at all. The only objective was to be the last person standing. Whoever survived and remained on their feet at the end was deemed victorious.

Each canteen sent two representatives, and six combatants would face off in a large, brutal arena. They could use any weapons available within the arena. Additionally, there would be spectators, some of whom were so bored they traveled from other planets just to watch the brutal contests.

These spectators would first visit the Carl Prison to tour the remote facility housing death row and life-sentence prisoners, observe the lives of the inmates, and later watch the deadly battles. They would place bets, engage in gambling, and even livestream the events.

Naturally, those attending were mostly wealthy space merchants, or offspring of aristocratic families. After all, the cost of traveling here aboard a high-class transport ship was beyond the reach of ordinary citizens. They weren’t interested in touring a prison unless it was a special attraction.

Upon hearing this, Lin Fei couldn’t help but admire the prison warden’s commercial acumen. He had managed to turn this desolate, almost uninhabited desert-like planet into a unique, profitable attraction. The proceeds from a few fight nights were likely enough to surpass the warden’s lifetime salary.

That night, within Carl Prison’s large arena, surrounded by electrified wire fences, one of three entrances opened. A teenager, with metal balls bound to his feet, stood at Gate One, a chubby man behind him carrying the heavy metal ball. This was Lin Fei.

As the gate swung open, Lin Fei and his cellmate entered the arena, and the commentator began: “Now entering, a boy shackled with leg irons, known as the 'Butcher of the Canteen,' a demon. Although he is under twenty, he was sentenced to life imprisonment for slaughtering an entire military academy class. Due to his extreme danger, he has been sentenced to live with fifty kilograms of leg irons.”

“However, in the mere half-month since his incarceration, he has taken control of the First Canteen, becoming one of the underground kings of Carl Prison. Tonight, will he continue his reign of bloodshed? Let us watch and see.”

As for the chubby man trailing behind Lin Fei, he was completely ignored by the commentator.

Lin Fei surveyed the arena. It was a circular structure, around thirty meters in diameter. Numerous obstacles were scattered throughout, and ten metal cages were placed in various corners. Inside these cages, there were laser swords, metal cutters, whips, flamethrowers, and other weapons.

Lin Fei listened as his cellmate explained that these cages would randomly open during the fight.

As a fighter, if one was lucky, they could seize a weapon from a randomly opened cage and turn the tide of battle. After all, when the difference in physical strength wasn’t vast, a fight between an unarmed person and someone wielding a laser sword would usually have a clear outcome.

With the opening of Lin Fei's entry gate, the prisoners in the stands—many of whom were bandaged or wearing casts—began to cheer for him. Or rather, they were hoping that Lin Fei’s victory would improve their meals for the next month.

“Kill them, just like you crippled me. Kill them all!”

“Make them into women, cripple them!”

“Punch their butts!”

“I want roast duck!”

Lin Fei waved back at his cheering cellmates, smiling gratefully despite the high-voltage wire fence separating them.

At first, the chubby man standing behind Lin Fei also smiled, but soon, that smile faded. As the second and third gates to the arena opened, the chubby man realized that his opponents were far more terrifying than expected.

These opponents could hardly be called human, or at least not entirely human.

Have you ever seen a normal human over three meters tall with muscles bulging out? These were the two fighters who emerged from the second gate—genetically modified soldiers, unstable due to their gene therapy. They had gone berserk during a mission, killing their commanding officer and many civilians, leading to their life imprisonment.

Though they had once been soldiers, their gene modifications had caused them to lose control, resulting in violent attacks. Despite the severity of their crimes, they had been sent to Carl Prison for life as a way to placate the emotions of their fellow soldiers and the families of their victims.

If these two could still be considered human opponents, the chubby man would soon regret not leaving a will or distributing his bedding to other inmates.

As the third gate opened, two towering figures—half-human, half-machine—stepped into the arena. Their mechanical limbs left heavy metal footprints on the ground. They were cybernetic combatants, part human, part machine. Each had one mechanical hand and one mechanical leg, along with a laser infrared eye, while the rest of their bodies remained human.

Such human-machine hybrids had been banned on the surface of the Empire, but underground organizations and mercenaries sometimes opted for metal prosthetics to cut costs on expensive body reconstruction after injuries or to enhance their combat capabilities.

With high-grade prosthetics, one punch from these creatures could leave a massive hole in the marble floor—truly explosive power.

“Now entering, the representatives of Carl Prison’s Second Gang—the Heavy Meat Grinder Brothers! And the representatives of the Third Gang—the Terminator Duo! Welcome to the Deathmatch Arena of Carl Prison. Tonight’s battle of the titans—will the rising star, the young Butcher of the Canteen, emerge victorious, or will the old champions, the Meat Grinder Brothers and the Terminator Duo, claim the win? Let’s find out now. I hereby announce, the Deathmatch of Carl Prison, live, begins now!”

With the announcement, the metal gates clanged shut, and the six prisoners faced off in the arena, their eyes meeting for a few tense seconds.

The cage in the center, holding laser swords, opened.

Meanwhile, three other cages around the arena opened, revealing metal swords, daggers, and large knives.