Chapter 100 Welcome to the Colosseum! ...
“Mr. Nicholas has a very strong ability, a very rare spatial ability. I don’t know exactly what it is, but it’s very powerful. Mr. Hugh entrusts him with many things.”
"....."
Many people present knew Nikolai's identity, and even those who didn't would be informed by those around them.
She was exceptionally important to Hugh Solomon; even as just an assistant, she was someone everyone present looked up to.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Nikolai began, his tone completely flat, a stark contrast to the excited and high-spirited Sam of District 5, "please scan the QR codes around you to access today's Colosseum page."
As he finished speaking, the surrounding waiters joined the crowd, showing the foreign guests QR codes on their phones for them to scan one by one.
The scan revealed a deep red background with a line of text in the center—
Welcome to the Colosseum!
After clicking to enter, you will be taken to the betting interface.
The interface is predominantly black with gold accents, exuding a noble and elegant feel, as if a high-end auction is taking place.
However, today's "auction" items display different avatars, and below each avatar are the corresponding bets and odds.
Today's performers are mostly from the mountain area.
Just as everyone was scanning, the bright lights went out, plunging the venue into darkness, and the large curtains around them slowly fell down.
There are three screens in total, each of which is very large, so even when watching in split-screen mode, the image is still very clear.
The figures of the mountain people appeared on the screen in the middle.
Unlike the previous event at the Colosseum in District 5 of the Third Continent, this time the Shan family members were directly invited to Building No. 8 and were completely separated from ordinary foreign guests. Instead, the event was recorded in video format.
Several families closest to the Solomon family also live in Building 8, and their figures can occasionally be seen in videos.
There was Hugh Solomon, the head of the second family Solomon, other members of the family, the Mikhail family, and even members of the Ram family.
One of the men, with long hair and beard and wearing a long mandarin jacket, was particularly eye-catching. He had an air of aloofness and purity, but his eyes held a hint of mockery and excitement.
He has an even crazier gambler's temperament than Sam.
Yu Yuan recognized this person.
"His name is Gongyang Huo, the younger brother of Gongyang Qing, the head of the Gongyang family. He's usually on the First Continent, so why is he here?"
The Shan family clearly recognized those people, and because they recognized them, they trusted them completely, their confidence swelled, and they had a very comfortable time these past two days.
Little did they know, their every move was being recorded, edited together to add some fun for the audience.
When the Shan family first entered Crocodile Island, they were somewhat wary.
By evening, they were completely relaxed and enjoying themselves.
Building No. 8 also houses a variety of entertainment venues, offering everything imaginable.
In their spare time, they would gather in twos and threes to discuss how to curry favor with the higher-ups.
Shan Hai's son, Shan Hang, was determined to take the position of head of the Shan family. He praised his father while elevating himself, "Dad, in the entire Shan family, we are the only family of three who all have superpowers. Even the heavens favor us. That position is definitely ours!"
Shandong Airlines' mother also agreed, "You guys are the offensive type, and I'm the healing type, protecting you from the rear. Our family can both attack and defend, so what can the others use to fight against us?"
Shan Hai nodded in agreement, "Since we've decided to join the Solomon family's camp, we should make more connections and try to win over some key figures. Wouldn't it be even more secure if we could get Mr. Nicholas to be our backer?"
Shandong Airlines agreed, and the family of three began discussing how to win over the top leaders of the Solomon Islands camp.
When this part of the video plays, many people will look at Nikolai's expression.
But his face, expressionless like a dead man's, revealed nothing. Even his eyes were indifferent, showing no emotion whatsoever.
Meanwhile, Shan Lingjiao, the youngest sister of the Shan family, is soaking in a hot spring with her two daughters.
Her eldest daughter is 19 years old and has superpowers, while her younger daughter has no superpowers.
All three inherited the beauty of the Shan family and were outstanding in appearance. The eldest daughter was beautiful and the youngest daughter was sweet and lovely. Shan Lingjiao was very satisfied.
However, the two brothers' special abilities were only so-so, which made Shan Lingjiao very anxious, worried that she couldn't compete with her two older brothers.
But now she has decided to take a different approach, having her eldest daughter cultivate relationships with important figures here, ideally forming a marriage alliance, which would make the relationship even stronger.
The eldest daughter readily agreed. She already had high standards, and after being exposed to levels she had never encountered before, she was even more intolerant of others.
“The young master of the Mikhail family is quite good. He’s about the same age as you and very handsome. I just don’t know what his special abilities are.”
"Mom, you don't understand. Once you get to that position, it doesn't matter whether you have superpowers or not. There will naturally be other high-level superpowered individuals willing to risk their lives for you."
"You're right, my dear daughter."
As the three chatted, they also started talking about Nikolai.
"I heard that Nikolai's superpowers are amazing, but he looks too fierce."
“No, no matter how capable he is, he’s just an assistant, working for the Solomon family. Being with him, no matter how strong I am, I’m still just a servant. I’d rather marry a member of a collateral branch of the Mikhail family.”
"That makes sense..."
They thought they were speaking discreetly, but they never expected that their words would be played like a video and spoken very recklessly.
The onlookers found it amusing, and some couldn't help but laugh out loud, their laughter filled with undisguised sarcasm.
Shan Xuerong was with her parents and brother, completely unaware that a camera was recording their every move.
"Why didn't I see Xie Huaimin this time? Didn't he also receive an invitation?"
"Sister, don't you see who's around us this time? Xie Huaimin is just an insignificant nobody. How could he be here? Even if he did come, he's probably been arranged to stay somewhere else."
Upon hearing this, many viewers stared intently at them, curious whether they were aware of their situation.
"We are different. We were invited here with great ceremony. We are sure to rise to high positions and become aristocratic families that are admired by all!"
Audience: ...You're really overthinking it.
"But why are they treating us differently? What do we have that they value so much?"
"What else could it be? It must be because of the mountain dyeing."
Upon hearing the name Shan Ran, many people present widened their eyes and then carefully examined the names corresponding to these people on their phone screens.
The room immediately erupted in noise as everyone chatted enthusiastically.
"So she's a relative of Shan Ran."
"They're all from the mountain people of the Second Continent, right? My goodness, the whole family's here! That's great, we've wiped them all out."
"That's a really good way to deal with Shan Ran. It cuts her off at the root. If Shan Ran knew that her family was being watched like animals in a zoo, she'd probably be very upset, hahaha..."
"That's not necessarily true. Haven't you seen the rumors online? Shan Ran has a very bad relationship with the Shan family. It's like they're estranged forever. Maybe she even hopes those people die."
"Who cares? This group of people has added a lot of laughs, they're quite funny, I like watching them, I'll watch them a lot."
"......"
The atmosphere was lively, and the video on the screen was still playing.
"Are they trying to recruit Shan Ran, so they're treating us well first?"
Shanhe pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "Shanran is unscrupulous in the Third Continent and is on good terms with the Yu family and the Lawrence family in the Second Continent. These people are on the opposite side of the Solomon family, so I'm afraid it's not for the purpose of winning them over."
"What else could it be but trying to win us over? Do you think you can get us to control Shan Ran? Don't be ridiculous, she probably wishes we were dead right now."
Shan Xuelou tapped his sister's head. "You idiot, could it be that you want us to help you capture Shan Ran and then squeeze every last drop of value out of her?"
Shan Xuerong suddenly realized, "That's right, after all, we are Shan Ran's only family in this world, there's always a way to get her to come over."
"But if Shan Ran were so easy to deal with, it wouldn't have dragged on until today."
"That's beyond our control. Remember, you have to play dumb to outsmart others, and that way you'll have the last laugh."
"I know, I know, you all said it before: when the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits. We can even profit from it when they're both exhausted..."
As soon as the people in the video finished speaking, bursts of laughter erupted from the audience.
"Hahahaha, how can the Shan family be so funny? Are they idiots?"
"These three families, each with its own eccentricities, how could they possibly produce a normal person like Shan Ran?"
"I really feel sorry for Shanran. How did she endure being born into such an abnormal family for the first ten years or so?"
"That's why Shanran doesn't get along with them. If I were them, I would run away too. Staying there for too long will make you lose your mind. Now they're just a bunch of jokes."
Yu Yuan stared intently at the big screen, and almost spilled the wine in his hand when he heard the Shan family speaking.
He looked at the composed girl beside him with a complicated expression, pursed his lips, and said, "It must have been tough for you to grow up safely in such an environment."
Shan Ran was speechless: "I'm not their child. My parents were still alive until I was 14. I didn't have much contact with them, so our relationship wasn't very good back then."
"Your dad must have had a tough time, growing up with three siblings like that, and he didn't turn out badly."
Shan Ran nodded seriously: "That's true."
The video was still playing about the Shan family, who would occasionally utter some witty remarks that drew laughter from the audience.
Shan Ran's habit of feeling awkward for others resurfaced, and she couldn't help but curl her toes several times. Of course, it wasn't because the other person was a member of the Shan family, but because she genuinely felt awkward watching.
She glanced at Nikolai, who stood steadily on the steps, and sighed, "To kill someone is to destroy their spirit."
They are truly ruthless and genuinely do not regard people from other social classes as human beings.
It's cruel and disgusting to display the people who are about to become prey to the public like a joke before they die, all just to please the higher-ups.
The betting channel will close soon after the video finishes playing.
Shan Ran didn't look closely, just randomly selected a few items, and then clicked "OK".
The video feed suddenly switched from a pre-recorded broadcast to a live stream.
First, a few unknown figures entered the arena, and only after the scene became lively did the camera turn to the main event of the night.
The Shan family was resting in their room when a waiter knocked on the door and led them out of the room and into the elevator.
The elevator descended at a steady speed and arrived at the target floor with a "ding". After the doors opened, they walked through a long corridor and were led by a waiter into a large lounge.
The room was softly lit, with soothing music playing, and the table was fully stocked with fruit, desserts, and drinks.
The environment was so comfortable that it made you completely forget that this was the apocalypse.
Someone couldn't help but yawn, then sat down on the soft sofa and drifted off to sleep.
The atmosphere was so good that even Shan Xuerong and Shan Hang, who usually loved to bicker and tease each other, quieted down.
Those at the center of the storm were unaware, but the crowd watching the live stream held their breath in suspense.
Some people even clenched their fists nervously, their eyes wide open, not daring to miss a single moment.
The next second, the lights in the room where the Shan family was located suddenly went out.
The video recording automatically switched to night vision, allowing us to see their faces and expressions clearly, but their eyes were two flashing points, making them appear even more eerie and terrifying.
The group was shocked. Some of them went to the door, only to find it locked and impossible to open.
Some people tried to make phone calls and send messages, but the signal was blocked, and they were completely cut off from the internet.
Unable to contact the outside world, the door won't open, no light...
These unexpected events all happened at once, and even the slowest observers realized something was wrong.
"Open the door! Why is it locked!"
"Is anyone there? Help!"
"Hey! Is this a prank? We're from the Yama family! Is there some misunderstanding?"
Suddenly, a noise came from the wall opposite the main entrance.
Someone used their phone to illuminate the wall and discovered that it was actually a door. The two doors slowly moved to the side, leaving the doorway wide open in the middle.
Behind the door was complete darkness, like a huge and ferocious beast opening its blood-red maw, ready to chew them up and swallow them whole, leaving no trace of their remains.
Shanhe couldn't help but shiver, and asked tremblingly, "What's ahead? What's going on?"
Shan Lingjiao's youngest daughter, Shan Yan, was the youngest. She had no special abilities and clung tightly to her mother and older sister, crying out in fear, "Waaah, Mom, I want to go home. I don't want to stay here anymore."
Just as everyone was at a loss, a light suddenly shone in the darkness ahead.
The cold white light was bright and dazzling. When it suddenly turned on, everyone inside couldn't help but close their eyes for a moment.
After their eyes adjusted to the light, they opened them again and found a row of black railings in front of them.
Behind the door that had just been opened was a prison-like fence!
Shan Lingjiao's eldest daughter, Shan Qi, is a power-type character. In desperation, she punched through the wall, hoping to escape through the hole.
The wall was surprisingly thin, just an ordinary partition wall, hollow inside. But after prying open the hole in the wall, everyone was surprised to find that there was also a fence behind it.
After they had smashed down all four walls, they were in despair.
They were surrounded by fences; it was a cage with a hollow wall on top to make them think it was an ordinary room.
Why go through all this trouble to lure them in?
What's behind the fence?
They certainly didn't know, but the audience outside was very clear about it.
Watching a group of people slowly walk into the trap set for them, the victims were completely unaware, relaxed and enjoying themselves immensely.
At that moment, the audience was on edge, eager to see the contrast between the people inside after everything was shattered.
Such a contrast is extremely dramatic.
People initially felt fear and confusion, followed by despair and pain upon discovering the truth.
This is the source of the excitement of the Colosseum audience; it's the thrill they crave.
From afar, Shan Ran could see that, apart from Xie Huaimin, who was completely out of it in the corner, everyone else was immersed in the atmosphere created by the arena.
Even Roman, who was completely unaware at first, and Nia, who felt somewhat reluctant after learning the truth, both wore expressions of excitement at this moment.
And we are also looking forward to the next reaction from the Shan family.
Because the most desperate moment has not yet arrived.
They didn't give up until they dismantled the entire room, only to find that they were indeed inside a cage.
Just as I was catching my breath, all the surrounding lights came on.
It turned out that the long corridor they had just seen was actually a passageway that led them to a spacious area.
The venue is larger than a football field, surrounded by high walls with a full circle of spectator seats.
There were people in the seats, not many, sitting upright and watching them, like they were watching a group of animals in a circus.
This scene reminded the mountain folks of something they had seen on a forum before—
The Colosseum.
"Is this the arena that Shan Ran and the others went to?"
"Oh no, oh no, oh no! Where are we? Have we been tricked?!"
Some screamed in despair, some cursed loudly, and others, still clinging to a sliver of hope, begged for mercy in disbelief.
On the other side of the Colosseum, there was another exit, the gate of which was tightly closed, but a rumbling noise could be heard from time to time.
Soon, the door slowly opened, releasing a group of creatures, and then closed again.
Unexpectedly, what emerged from inside was not a monster, but a group of people.
No, they can no longer be called human beings.
These "humans" had eyes completely black, with not a trace of white in them. Their expressions were ferocious, and the veins on their bodies bulged out, appearing as horizontal lines across their pale skin.
The strangest thing is that their blood vessels are black.
These are all contaminated people; they are not normal people at all.
Shan Ran now understood what the dock security guard meant by "beasts and people".
"They used to be monsters, now they're corrupted humans."
Nightmare Beasts are difficult to control, and those with supernatural abilities who can influence them are extremely rare. If you want the arena to continue operating in the long term, having Nightmare Beasts is not a stable option.
So the Colosseum set its sights on the Corruptors.
If the quantity is insufficient, they can manufacture more.
The audience was in an uproar. Most of them were unaware of the incident and were startled when they saw so many polluters rushing out.
But they quickly realized what was happening and became even more excited than before.
They'd seen far too many battles between humans and monsters; they weren't surprised. But the fight between humans and the corrupted was far more interesting.
The Shan family members who were imprisoned also recognized what those things on the other side were.
At each base, you'll encounter some contaminated individuals at the beginning.
Upon learning that crystal cores can upgrade abilities, many people consume excessive amounts in the early stages. However, becoming a Corruptor requires a large number of crystal cores, which is usually only achievable by highly skilled individuals. Once they become Corruptors, they are very powerful and difficult to deal with in the early stages.
The infected are similar to zombies; they have no sense of pain and will not die completely as long as their heads are still intact. The biggest difference between them and zombies is that they are not contagious.
News of the polluters quickly spread throughout the world, and every base strictly prohibited the excessive use of crystal cores. Most of the early-stage ones were also destroyed.
The fact that there are so many polluters in the Colosseum is clearly abnormal.
"How many crystal cores would it take to create so many polluters?" Yu Yuan was dumbfounded.
Considering the Solomon family's expertise in pharmaceuticals and toxicants, Shan Ran frowned and said, "They may have specialized drugs that can turn people into polluters."
"Holy crap, how could they be so inhumane?" Yu Yuan was even more shocked, nearly dropping his wine glass. But it was indeed something they were capable of doing.
The mountain people were going crazy. They wanted to dismantle the fence, but found that the attack was completely ineffective. It must be a special material with crystal cores added, making it extremely defensive.
They screamed and begged for mercy, weeping and pleading, trying to buy a chance at life.
Just then, the announcer's voice rang out over the Colosseum.
"The first act, performed by Shan Lingjiao and Shan He."
Please step forward, both of you.
The two people whose names were called were incredulous.
Shanhe, in particular, pointed to himself, pleading with a tearful voice, "Me? How could it be me? I don't have any superpowers! I'll die if I go out like this, please spare me..."
The broadcast came on again.
"Please arrange for the two performers to leave as soon as possible, otherwise the door protecting you will open immediately, and everyone will face the contaminant together."
The others were taken aback upon hearing this.
But soon, their eyes turned fierce.
While Shan Lingjiao and Shan He were still crying and shouting, they were suddenly pushed out.
When I turned around again, the door was already closed.
They shook the door frantically, but found they couldn't open it at all.
They don't have control over this door at all.
"Dad, I'm sorry, we have no choice. If you don't leave, none of us will survive..."
"Mom, run! You have superpowers and you can run fast. You have a chance to survive!"
Shan Lingjiao turned around and glared fiercely at her two daughters. The scene had been too chaotic, and she didn't even know if her daughters were among the people who pushed her.
But they were right, the polluters were surging this way, and it would be too late if we didn't run.
So Shan Lingjiao didn't say much, her limbs transformed into antelope legs, and she quickly ran towards a location free of contaminants.
Shanhe didn't have the stamina anymore. He scolded his children a few times and then ran away.
While running, he found weapons on the ground. He quickly picked up an axe and actually killed several of the polluters with it when they caught up.
"These polluters are so weak. Some of them don't even seem to have any special abilities. They're not even as good as ordinary people."
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Author's Note: Thank you to the lovely nutrient solution: Sleepy and Safe
Thank you for your support! [Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers]
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