Within Wen Bai's line of sight, there were many people wearing masks identical to his own.
It was evident these were the humans participating in the event, just like him.
The arena, as described by the guide, was a vast area enclosed by several extremely thick ropes.
Many masked individuals surrounded the arena. Some cheered with excitement, others stood quietly with wine in hand, while some sat in chairs on elevated platforms, leaning forward to watch with anticipation.
Currently, inside the arena:
A rogue robot with blue eyes was cautiously confronting a human man who appeared incredibly strong and muscular. They circled each other, with the center of the arena as their focus.
Wen Bai glanced at it and asked, "Are we betting on who falls first?"
Wasn't it obvious?
Could humans in this world truly defeat a rogue robot with their bare hands?
The guide shook his head and patiently explained, "We're betting on how many rounds the rogue robot inside the arena will last before its chip is extracted, or the method by which its chip is extracted."
System 001 chimed in, "These humans are truly vile."
Wen Bai paused his steps and looked back into the arena.
He then noticed that the human was indeed not fighting bare-handed.
At the edge of the arena, there were many items. Some were tools, some were things Wen Bai didn't recognize, and there was even a gun...
When Wen Bai had looked earlier, he hadn't noticed these items at the arena's edge at all.
Someone was still placing items there.
It seemed they were new additions.
Wen Bai was still pondering what "rounds" meant.
The next second, the rogue robot made the first move, a blur of speed towards the man. Before the man could even brace himself, it had struck.
A small amount of blood splashed onto the rogue robot's face. In its hand, it held a still-beating, warm heart...
It had directly ripped out the man's heart.
The surrounding crowd erupted in hearty laughter and excited screams...
Wen Bai's expression remained impassive as he scanned the humans at the arena's edge.
The masked humans seemed particularly thrilled.
Wen Bai didn't quite understand.
Wasn't a human dead?
The deceased human was swiftly cleared away.
Immediately, a new human was brought in.
This time, it was a man who appeared very thin.
The scrawny man was much smarter than the previously strong, muscular one. Before the match even began, he picked up a small black box from the ground and held it in his palm.
The moment the match started, he hurled it directly at the rogue robot.
The rogue robot seemed to fear this object greatly. By the time it tried to dodge, it was too late.
The black box popped open in mid-air, tracking the rogue robot and exploding into a net directly above it.
The rogue robot didn't manage to dodge in time. No, it couldn't dodge at all. It was caught directly by the net.
As the net made contact with the rogue robot, it began to constrict rapidly.
The rogue robot seemed to have sustained heavy damage, unable to support itself, and knelt on the ground.
The scrawny man immediately picked up a cone-shaped object from the ground and, catching the robot off guard, drove it into the back of its head.
Following this, the rogue robot collapsed with a thud.
Even as it fell, its eyes remained open, filled with hatred.
The masked humans surrounding the arena became even more frenzied, with some even throwing bundles of cash onto the arena.
The scrawny man picked up the cash from the arena, kissed it lightly, waved to the crowd, and bowed.
A voluptuous woman in a short, revealing skirt walked in carrying a sign. She was likely wearing a microphone, as she shouted excitedly, "3 rounds~"
Her gentle female voice instantly permeated the entire venue: "It lasted 3 rounds."
She held up a sign with a large number "3" on it and walked around the arena, ensuring everyone could see it from all angles.
Someone stood up and roared with laughter, "Hahahaha! I bet won! I won!"
Some cursed the deceased rogue robots that were being cleared away.
Others scoffed.
...
The scrawny human on the arena stepped down. Staff members below asked, "Continue or change?"
The scrawny man chuckled, "Just luck, purely luck. I'll take the money and leave. Once you earn money, you spend it first~ Who knows if I'll be alive next time."
Then, the scrawny man poured an entire tray of piled-up money into the oversized pocket he had brought: "I'll just take cash."
Wen Bai withdrew his gaze.
The guide led Wen Bai further inside: "This is the rogue robot trading area. If guests have such needs, they can come here to select and purchase. Beautiful ones, obedient ones, rebellious ones, sensible ones – all types are available."
The guide smiled, "Naturally, for the rogue robots you purchase, besides taking them home, you can also ask them to earn money for you in the arena, or have them participate in the upcoming grand finale game..."
At this point, Wen Bai arrived at another area.
At the entrance, rows of rogue robots stood, each with a different appearance. It was unclear what had been done to them to make them so obedient.
However, the moment Wen Bai stepped in, the gazes of all the rogue robots in the rows turned in unison towards 575, who was beside him.
Wen Bai noticed the rogue robots' gazes, retracted his steps, and said coldly, "I don't like it here."
Wen Bai didn't even enter to see the area.
Seeing this, the guide immediately led Wen Bai to other areas.
...
The guide took Wen Bai around, giving a general explanation of the various venues, areas, and locations.
Seeing that Wen Bai seemed uninterested, the guide probably understood that this guest didn't require much explanation.
Indeed, many guests who came here preferred to explore and participate themselves rather than waste time listening to explanations.
Finally, before leaving, the guide told Wen Bai, "Sir, you will be notified when the grand finale hunt game begins. Please pay attention to it; it's a highly popular event that should not be missed. If you have any questions, you can ask the staff in the rest area. Now, you can enjoy your wonderful time here."
Wen Bai, behind his mask, looked at the guide for a few seconds. When the guide clearly felt the low pressure becoming uneasy and uncomfortable, Wen Bai nodded.
After receiving the guest's assent, the guide left alone to welcome the next guest.
What Wen Bai didn't know was that the guide, as he left, was greatly relieved.
Although working here offered extremely high salaries, the mortality rate was also very high.
Just now, if Wen Bai hadn't spoken, the guide would have assumed the guest was contemplating throwing him into one of the games.
The guide patted his pounding chest and calmed himself before leaving.
-
Wen Bai, with his low-pressure demeanor and his robot 575, headed towards the rest area.
Wen Bai had seen earlier that the rest area had prepared sufficient food and drinks, which looked quite good.
As Wen Bai and his robot 575 walked towards the rest area, two figures brushed past them.
After they had passed, the shorter figure turned around and glanced at the backs of Wen Bai and 575 as they entered the rest area.
Gou Zhe saw Zhao Fugui stop and raised an eyebrow, "What are you looking at? Not going to watch the arena matches you're so excited about?"
Zhao Fugui immediately turned back and followed, "I thought I saw my nemesis."
Zhao Fugui's one-sided nemesis, that Mr. Wen!
The man who had beaten him black and blue!
When Zhao Fugui saw the photo of the robot on the bounty poster, he guessed that Mr. Wen was definitely that man. He hadn't forgotten what the robot looked like.
Later, after photos of Brother Gou Zhe and that person together were leaked, it was confirmed.
Zhao Fugui was indignant.
Even if that person was the richest in the world, he was still the man who had beaten him, Zhao Fugui's nemesis!
Zhao Fugui, with his small stature, harbored a grand ambition: he always wanted to find an opportunity to beat Wen Bai back.
-
After viewing the area where rogue robots were sold, there were not only rogue robots caged like livestock for sale but also better-quality rogue robots being auctioned.
There were arenas where people found joy in killing rogue robots, and smaller venues for individual abuse...
Each guide had undergone professional training, and they would emphasize different aspects of the venue depending on the guest.
Gou Zhe showed great interest in rogue robots.
The guide then provided Gou Zhe and Zhao Fugui with a comprehensive introduction to the methods of abusing rogue robots, even telling them that they could provide tools and set up venues for guests, as long as the money was right.
Wen Bai, on the other hand, remained indifferent. The guide gave him only a brief, general introduction and then let Wen Bai find his own amusement.
Gou Zhe, after refusing the guide's offer to set up a private venue, was now quickly weaving through the crowd, calculating.
He estimated that there were at least over 100 rogue robots here, not counting those he hadn't seen.
Gou Zhe stopped.
Before him, an incomplete body of a rogue robot was being packed into a box, and its chip was discarded on the ground like scrap metal.
As if to not spoil the guests' mood,
Here, rogue robots whose chips had been removed or were damaged beyond repair were placed in boxes, covered, and then transported away.
A box being transported past Gou Zhe had an arm of a rogue robot sticking out.
This place was truly a hell for rogue robots.
Gou Zhe and Zhao Fugui, wearing white, faceless masks, paused here.
Zhao Fugui was stunned by the scenes before him. Even though he had spent years hunting rogue robots, he was still shocked by the way things were done here. He was still too young.
Gou Zhe, however, casually followed the departing box.
He wanted to see where these discarded rogue robots were being taken.
Robots could not be incinerated; they could only be destroyed through special methods.
And in this city, and even in the surrounding cities, there was only one destruction base, located in the southern part of the city.
Every robot destroyed was registered.
For such a large-scale disposal of rogue robot bodies.
If they weren't destroyed, how much would accumulate?
It was entirely impossible.
The box was being transported by staff into a passage, and there were guards at the entrance.
However, before Gou Zhe could follow or even get close, he was blocked by the people at the entrance.
"Guest, this is a staff passage, not a game area. Please stop here."
Gou Zhe watched as the box containing the rogue robot was wheeled in, disappearing from sight.
The people guarding the entrance saw that Gou Zhe didn't intend to leave and took two steps forward.
One of them bowed behind Gou Zhe, making a gesture to invite him, "Please enjoy your happy time here. It's too dirty here and might stain your clothes."
For a moment, Gou Zhe felt a physiological revulsion and almost vomited.
These people actually referred to their time here as happy time.
Everyone who came here took pleasure in harming rogue robots; this was their happy time.
Seeing the situation was not good, Zhao Fugui hurried over and loudly called out, "Brother! Hey~ Why are you here? Are you looking for me! I'm here!"
Gou Zhe clenched his fist and turned, walking towards Zhao Fugui.
At this moment, an extremely gentle female voice echoed throughout the venue.
"Night is about to fall, and our grand finale game is about to begin. Esteemed guests, have you prepared your chips and weapons? Guests participating in the hunt game, please gather at the rest area to receive your number tags."
The voice paused, then continued, "Guests participating in the hunt game, please gather at the rest area to receive your number tags..."
The voice repeated itself gently, sounding even more patient and kind.
People began to gradually abandon their current amusements and excitedly headed towards the rest area.
Zhao Fugui looked at the departing crowd and asked Gou Zhe, "Brother... are we going?"
"Of course, we're going. Since we're here, we naturally have to see what kind of interesting game it is," Gou Zhe said, coldly watching the people.
-
Wen Bai didn't have much appetite today.
He sat on a sofa, his robot 575 standing beside him.
Wen Bai held a glass of juice, and before him, a neat row of plates was laid out, containing various small snacks and fruits.
This setup made him seem out of place compared to others holding red wine and excitedly tapping on electronic screens.
Wen Bai looked at the masked people in the rest area.
Now he finally understood why the masks stopped below the nose: everyone needed to drink water and eat.
After the gentle female voice broadcasted, people gradually arrived at the large rest area.
Staff in uniform were already distributing number tags to the guests in the rest area.
A staff member approached and placed two electronic number tags on Wen Bai's table.
After placing them down, the staff member thoughtfully asked Wen Bai, "Guest, what kind of weapon would you like to choose?"
Wen Bai's large eyes, hidden behind his mask, revealed a look of confusion.