The words had barely fallen when the opposing contestant, even wearing an expression of relief, pleaded for Zhou Haimei to finish him quickly.
Zhou Haimei did not hesitate, launching a swift and decisive attack. She moved forward, executing a sequence of moves that swiftly took down her opponent.
It was an almost crushing victory.
Before the host could even announce Zhou Haimei's win, she gripped the railing of the stands and leaped down from the two-meter-high platform.
Taking two steps at a time, she walked directly in front of Xu An.
"Are you alright?"
Xu An shook her head, smiling and saying, "I'm fine. Your match was very exciting."
Although she had arrived near the end of the match, every move Zhou Haimei made exuded an aura of unrestrained freedom and grace; it was beautiful.
As if still worried, Zhou Haimei grabbed Xu An and spun her around in place, meticulously checking Xu An from head to toe before she was satisfied.
Once she confirmed that Xu An only had some harmless scratches and bruises, she finally felt completely at ease.
"What about that Zhou Xiong?" Zhou Haimei asked, her voice tight, her eyes flashing with ferocity. "This bastard didn't dare confront me openly, so he set his sights on me. He's practically begging for death!"
Seeing that Xu An didn't answer and instead wore a knowing smile, Zhou Haimei tentatively asked, "Zhou Xiong is dead?"
"Of course not, he just lost a leg."
Upon hearing Xu An's answer, Zhou Haimei's face lit up with excitement. No one understood Xu An's capabilities better than she did.
"Quick, tell me how you dealt with Zhou Xiong! I'm so curious."
Zhou Haimei's excitement was genuine, as she had placed a significant bet on Xu An.
Now that Xu An had won, it meant she could make a substantial profit, so how could she not be happy?
Xu An briefly recounted her match to Zhou Haimei, omitting the part where butterflies appeared to paralyze Zhou Xiong. She simply stated that she had found a weakness in Zhou Xiong's defense and exploited it.
Seeing Zhou Haimei's fluctuating emotions, Xu An added a supplementary remark after finishing.
"Zhou Xiong's increased strength was due to a special drug he took. The authorities discovered it, and their entire group was apprehended. They shouldn't be able to participate in the competition anymore."
"Serves him right!" Upon hearing this, Zhou Haimei's joy was palpable. She spat with disgust and continued, "An'an, you're still too soft-hearted. Why didn't you just cripple Zhou Xiong?"
"Isn't it forbidden to kill in arena matches?" Xu An asked in confusion.
A subtle, unreadable smile played on Zhou Haimei's lips. "Just leaving them alive on the stage is enough. As for whether they're dead or alive when carried away, that's no longer your concern."
"It can be like that?" Xu An looked regretful, even asking in a low voice, "Mei-jie, can we still do something to Zhou Xiong at the hospital?"
For some reason, Xu An felt that keeping Zhou Xiong around was a potential danger.
Zhou Haimei shook her head helplessly. "Not anymore. Once they're off the stage, no further action can be taken. But don't worry, Zhou Xiong's only sources of income were from fighting and mercenary teams. Now that one leg is gone, the mercenary teams definitely won't want him. I doubt you'll encounter him at the training gym anymore."
However, Xu An still felt a lingering unease. She believed that people only resorted to desperate measures when cornered.
It wasn't that Xu An and her companions were cruel; it was simply that since Zhou Xiong had harbored murderous intent, it was bound to be an irreconcilable conflict.
Still, Xu An hadn't forgotten that Zhou Xiong still owed her a kowtow and plea for mercy. Considering he was carried away unconscious, she'd hold onto that debt for him.
...
Seeing that it was still early and not wanting to waste time discussing Zhou Xiong, Zhou Haimei pulled Xu An away from the stands. "I'll take you to a coffee shop. Have you been before?"
Xu An nodded. "It feels too expensive, I've never been."
Zhou Haimei waved her hand dismissively. "It's fine, you helped me win so much money. Come on, I'll treat you to a good time."
Xu An had initially intended to go home. However, the arena was quite far from her route home, and the transportation fees for entering and exiting the light barrier alone were considerable.
But the coffee shop was less than ten minutes away from the arena. They had another match in the afternoon. Under Zhou Haimei's persuasion, Xu An eventually agreed to go to the coffee shop.
Moreover, Xu An knew that Zhou Haimei had invested a substantial amount of trading coins in this bet.
Considering the terrifying odds involved with her and Zhou Xiong, Xu An could almost imagine the fortune she'd won.
As soon as they sat down, a young girl with a round face and a cute appearance approached them, holding a transparent device resembling a touchpad.
"Hello, ladies. What would you like to order?"
Saying this, she handed the transparent touchpad to Xu An. Xu An then realized that this device was just like a tablet computer from olden times, used for ordering food.
Xu An looked at the menu and first asked, "Mei-jie, what do you want?"
"It's fine, you order first. Order whatever you like to eat. The food here is quite good."
Hearing this, Xu An didn't stand on ceremony.
She immediately ordered her usual latte and a simple meal.
"I'm done, you can have it."
Zhou Haimei took the menu and, seeing that Xu An had only ordered a small amount, worried she wouldn't have enough. With a wave of her hand, she added another main course and a dessert.
She kept asking Xu An if she had enough, urging her not to go hungry, as they had a match in the afternoon that would consume a lot of energy.
Xu An smiled and nodded. "Enough, enough, Mei-jie. You've ordered seven or eight dishes, we'll have plenty to eat!"
Zhou Haimei pursed her lips and muttered softly, "The food here is good, but the prices are high and the portions are small." Then she pointed to the side and said to Xu An,
"This isn't the only shop around. But this is the only one that can make the taste so authentic in the apocalypse. That's why, even though the price is several times higher than other shops, customers are still coming in droves."
Xu An looked around and indeed, as Zhou Haimei had said, almost every table was occupied. However, unlike their abundantly laden table, other tables only had a cup of coffee or a dessert scattered on them.
"They're only eating that little, will they be full?" Xu An asked softly.
Zhou Haimei flicked Xu An's forehead. "Most people who come here are just satisfying a craving. Do you think everyone here is like us, actually here to eat?"
She continued, "I'm just coming here to manage today. In fact, I usually just come for their pastries."
While they were eating, Zhou Haimei's communicator suddenly rang. The next second, she couldn't stop smiling.
She pulled Xu An over and pecked her on the cheek. "Ah! An'an, you're truly my lucky star! I've won so many trading coins! They've all arrived! I'll split half with you."
As she spoke, she seemed to see something else and muttered with a sigh, "But the person who bet the most is so bold! They bet even more than I did. This is a massive windfall! An'an, besides me, you have a loyal fan too. Do you think it might be that handsome young man who has a crush on you?"
The mysterious bettor Zhou Haimei mentioned had placed nearly twenty thousand trading coins in this match with odds of 1:1000. This payout meant they were now financially secure for the rest of their lives.
Even Zhou Haimei looked on with a hint of envy.
While teasing, Zhou Haimei reached for her operating system to transfer money to Xu An.
Based on feedback from the residents on the lighthouse, transfers between trading coins had been changed from requiring personal visits to transaction points to online transfers, making things much more convenient.
Xu An initially wanted to refuse, but Zhou Haimei was too insistent.
Finally, after negotiation between the two, Xu An accepted only twenty percent.
As for the "generous mysterious person" Zhou Haimei mentioned, Xu An simply smiled without comment after hearing about it.
That person was herself. With such high odds, why wouldn't she make money if she had it?
Both of them enjoyed the meal, and soon it was time for the afternoon matches.
This time, the draw was uneventful. It was an unfamiliar square-faced man.
Xu An had never seen him before and couldn't estimate his strength. She wasn't afraid. As long as it was a fair fight, Xu An wouldn't regret it even if she lost.