World of Lies

A man walked into the ring and stood confidently. He wore the same work uniform as the others, and his dark brown hair flowed down the back of his head. The announcer approached him and shouted, "What's your name?"

"Terance."

"Everybody! Place your bets on either Angus or Terance!"

The audience knew what to do, but a few people paused before placing their bets.

"Who will bet on that guy? Didn't he see Angus fighting before?"

"Why are you complaining? It is our win. Just bet on Angus to double your money."

After a few minutes, the wagers were placed. Nobody knew how many people bet on who, but it was obvious that the majority of them chose Angus.

A worker sneakily approached the large man sitting in the chair and whispered in his ear.

"Sir, twenty-nine people bet 16 thousand Lins on Angus."

The leader grinned. "That's more than the previous fights. What about Terance?"

"Only one person bet him two thousand Lins."

"Two thousand? Ha ha ha, it looks like someone knows the game."

The fight started. Angus and Terrance circled each other before charging at each other. Terance raised his fist and aimed for a punch to the face, but Angus tilted his head to the side and easily avoided the punch.

Terance, on the other hand, had no intention of taking that position in the first place. He quickly spun around and aimed his right leg at Angus's abdomen. Angus immediately reacted, lifting his knee to block the attack, but Terance put all of his weight on his left leg, preventing his other leg from striking him. A split second later, his leg shot up and kicked Angus in the face.

Angus had to take a few steps back to regain his balance before wiping his mouth and standing straight. Nobody wanted Terance to win, so the crowd cheered for Angus.

Angus spat to the side. His eyes were sharp and calculating as they locked on Terance. The crowd's cheers faded into a dull roar in his ears. Nothing else mattered except for the man in front of him.

Terance smirked and shrugged his shoulders. "That's all you got?"

Angus did not respond and lunged.

This time, he did not wait for Terance to strike first. His fist flew out in a quick jab at Terance's ribs. Terance twisted, but not quickly enough, and the punch grazed his side, causing him to grunt. Angus countered with a left hook, but Terance dodged it and drove his shoulder into Angus' stomach.

Angus stumbled back, air rushing out of his lungs, but he did not fall. He grabbed Terance's arm before he could pull back and yanked him forward, slamming his forehead against Terance's nose.

A gruesome crack. There was blood all over.

Terance wiggled but remained upright. He swiped his face with the back of his hand, leaving red streaks on one cheek. He charged forward and swung hard. Angus deflected the first punch, but the second caught his jaw. His teeth rattled. He countered with a sharp elbow to Terance's ribs before driving his knee up, but Terance twisted and took the blow to his thigh instead.

They split apart, both breathing heavily. The crowd was screaming now, in a frenzy of voices, but neither fighter paid any attention.

Terance ducked to the left before swinging right. Angus saw it coming and sidestepped, grabbing Terance's wrist and twisting. Terance's arm bent awkwardly as he was violently yanked. Terance grumbled as he wrenched himself free, but it came at a cost: his movements were slower and his stance tighter.

Angus took advantage of the situation. A quick one-two, followed by a low sweep of his leg. Terance leaped back, but not far enough. When Angus' foot got caught behind Terance's ankle, he fell hard to the ground.

For a brief moment, the audience held its breath.

Terance rolled just as Angus' boot crashed down where his head had been. He scrambled up, blood and dirt staining his face. His chest heaved, but his eyes burned.

Angus charged in hard, landing a brutal right hook on Terance's temple. This was it, as the crowd roared. The fight was about to come to an end.

Terance, on the other hand, was not done.

He dropped at the very last second. Angus's fist flew over his head, knocking him off balance. Before Angus could recover, Terance pushed his shoulder into his stomach and raised up. Terance's feet lifted off the floor as he slammed Angus onto his back.

Angus lost his breath as a result of the impact. He gasped, dazed and confused. Terance did not give him any time to think. He straddled Angus and locked his legs around his waist to hold him down. His fists came down like hammers, delivering one, two, and three crushing blows to the face. Angus' arms flailed in an attempt to block, but Terance was unrelenting.

The fourth punch landed. Angus' head snapped to the side, blood splattering from his split lip. His arms fell limp.

The entire crowd fell silent.

Terance raised his fist one more time, hard breathing, sweat and blood dripping from his forehead. He hesitated for a brief moment before dropping his hand. He did not have to hit him again.

He rolled his shoulders as he stood and looked down at Angus, who groaned but did not move. The announcer rushed in and raised Terance's hand in the air.

"The winner is...Terance!"

The audience was in shock. No one cheered for him, and they sighed, some even crying quietly. Terance wiped his face with the back of his hand and spat to one side.

Solus remained in his position, smiling faintly. He had just doubled the remaining two thousand Lins to four thousand. He knew Terance was going to win because the entire fight was scripted.

Humans are easily brainwashed. Just show them that one man can easily win three rounds, and they will start throwing everything at him. Even if the winner was decided from the start, the fight was real. They were willing to risk some injuries for the money.

"Humans will do anything for money. It is the undeniable truth."

Solus was more interested in Terance than in the money he had recently received. Terance had the perfect fighting body, far superior to Angus's.

"Not only did I earn some extra money, but I also found my next target. He will be useful in the future."

However, Solus left that group to make more money. Since he was aware of the winning strategies, he began betting all of his money on a variety of other fights.

Hours passed like minutes, and the day was almost over. The number of people had also decreased, and most of the fights had ended. Solus stood against a pillar, gazing at all of his earnings.

He had placed 24 bets and won 234,000 Lins in total. It was a large number, which is why he sought out large crowds where such a number would not be an issue.

"Judgment day...more like a cheating day."

Solus looked ahead before connecting to the surveillance drones. In a matter of seconds, he located Terance walking among the crowd. He disconnected and began walking in that direction. After some time, he spotted Terance in the distance.

"Terance, I finally found you. Where have you been?"

Terance paused and turned around to see Solus approaching him. Terance had a few badges on his face, but he looked happy, most likely because of the money he had earned.

"Uhhh, do I know you?"

"You told me to meet at this time; did you forget?"

"Oh, hahaha, sorry. I was busy with my work."

"I understand. You are skilled and your fights were more entertaining."

"You think so?" Terance awkwardly smiled.

"Are you heading to the school to pick up your brother?"

"Yeah, but how did you–"

"Great. I also have a younger sister who goes to that school. What do you think about going together?"

"It would be nice. And I am sorry, but what was your name again?"

"I'm Julius. Make sure to remember it the next time."