Devouring Evil Martial Arts, Eliminating Demons from All Heavens

Chapter 321 Disgraced
The place known as the Colosseum in Jinling City was actually once an unfinished housing development.

Some buildings have a third floor of walls, but no third floor of roof.

In some places, a large foundation has just been erected, with the crisscrossing steel bars still exposed.

After the disaster, of course no one was willing to take over and renovate this place.

However, a group of fierce individuals took a liking to this place and decided to use it as a fighting arena.

They drove away the scavengers who had originally lived there, and built several layers of defensive fortifications around the area, erecting pillars and installing iron netting.

In the wasteland era, a distorted industry took shape and has thrived ever since.

The sky was overcast, a cold wind was blowing, and there was occasional light rain.

The cool air made the audience feel comfortable, and they gathered on different floors to watch the battle between humans and beasts in the arena below.

Elderly people and children selling cigarettes, alcohol, and melon seeds push their carts around, glancing down from time to time amidst the lively atmosphere.

On the second floor on the east side, there were fewer people, and the place was furnished with genuine leather sofas, coffee tables, and fruit, clearly a VIP area.

Mao Shanwei, the manager of the arena, sat on one of the sofas, facing outwards.

This man, who is always referred to as "Master Mao," looks to be in his fifties with gray, sparse hair and a low hairline.

He had a square face but was thin, wore frameless glasses, had his stubble cleanly shaved, and wore a white knit sweater, loose black trousers, and cloth shoes.

The atmosphere around him was lively, but he remained quiet, simply sipping his tea.

"Master Mao, something terrible has happened!"

The colosseum's security captain approached and spoke in a low voice.

"The people who believe that food is the most important thing and the south wind are now declaring that most of the senior members of the New Energy Association are secretly conducting all kinds of human experiments."

"Chairman Song Changle has been arrested, and people from those two companies have taken over all the key businesses belonging to the association."

"I heard that no one escaped from the association headquarters, but quite a few people are still fleeing from the various branches."

Master Mao was stunned.

"Something's happened to the New Energy Association..."

He looked down at his teacup and remained silent for a moment.

The security captain clicked his tongue and said, "I clearly heard before that Shiweitian and Nanfeng were at odds, so why did they suddenly join forces to attack the New Energy Association?"

“Master Mao, how true do you think this charge is? Chairman Song was an official before the disaster. Everyone often mistook the New Energy Association for the city's top official. How could the association be so unscrupulous in its work?”

Master Mao took a sip of tea and savored its flavor for a few seconds.

"Perhaps it is because they were in power before the disaster that they knew the taste of power so well."

Maoshan Wei said leisurely, "For greater power and higher status, such a person would do anything, which is only human nature and common sense."

The security captain scoffed, "That kind of person is really inhuman."

"It's been more than 20 years. People's lives are not so urgent anymore, and there are more than one way to develop new technologies. Why do they still insist on conducting large-scale human experiments? They have no conscience at all."

He picked up the teapot and poured himself a cup.

"Master Mao, shall we follow the advice of those two organizations and screen them out, not allowing people from the New Energy Association to come in and hide?"

Master Mao pondered for a moment and nodded.

"Our group was originally recruited by the three companies to manage the arena. At the time, to avoid suspicion, the three companies did not directly insert their own people, but now it's convenient."

The security captain laughed and said, "We're here to apply for the job, Master Mao, you were invited here."

Although Maoshan Wei's name contains the characters "Maoshan," he is not a successor of the Maoshan School.

He was a family heirloom spirit medium, somewhat similar to an animal tamer. The visualization he practiced since childhood was the "Subduing Tiger Sacred Might Diagram".

His parents named him "Shanwei," which originally meant the majesty of a mountain king. However, because it was combined with his family name, people often mistakenly thought he was from the Maoshan sect.

Among the scriptures accompanying "The Divine Might of Subduing the Tiger", the most powerful offensive technique is the Subduing Tiger Divine Fiend.

However, this method of cultivation requires absorbing the spirit and malevolent energy of a tiger, which is similar to the most profound method of the "Sheying Tiger Amulet" worshipped in Southeast Asia.

Before the catastrophe, tigers were protected animals and not very common.

Maoshan Wei didn't like going out to explore, and his cultivation in this area wasn't high. He wasn't good at fighting with people, so he opened a pet shop.

Thanks to his family's expertise in animal husbandry, he specialized in breeding and training cats and dogs. At a young age, he had already gained some fame in Nanjing and lived a comfortable life.

But after the catastrophe, his relatives turned into zombies, the shop was destroyed, and he fled in panic.

His more than ten years in the wasteland, while causing him all sorts of hardships, also allowed his cultivation to advance by leaps and bounds.

By utilizing the tiger-like souls of species from the borderlands and even monsters from the spirit world, he cultivated the Tiger-Taming Divine Fiend to its zenith.

While its lethality in combat with humans may not be top-tier, its deterrent effect is indeed extremely high.

With a sharp shout, poisonous insects fled; with a long howl, all beasts trembled in fear.

Ten years ago, when he returned to Nanjing to settle down, the city was a chaotic place with hundreds of plots of land of varying sizes, constantly embroiled in disputes.

While it's relatively easy to deal with birds of prey wandering into settlements, it's much harder to guard against various poisonous insects and flying ants.

Mao Shanwei was an expert in this field, and back then, he was willing to help any organization that invited him.

Although the Food for Heaven, South Wind and New Energy Association each had their own methods for preventing poisonous insects, they saved a lot of costs after joining the formula he provided.

His reputation in Jinling was similar to that of the "Divine Physician Yan Nian" in the surrounding communities.

Although Yan Nian delayed his arrival in Jinling, he had already settled there and enjoyed a much higher reputation among the locals than Yan Nian.

In previous years, in order to reform the Colosseum, the three parties joined forces to besiege the original high-ranking officials of the Colosseum.

Given the circumstances, the arena still needed to exist, so after discussions among the various factions, they took the initiative to invite Maoshan Wei to take charge of it.

There is a separate tax law for the Colosseum.

Over the years, Maoshanwei and his gang paid their taxes on time and prevented any further serious incidents from occurring at the arena. Unbeknownst to many, Maoshanwei's prestige here had become deeply entrenched.

Aside from the bloodthirsty spectators, the local residents' views on the Colosseum also changed drastically.

Moreover, Maoshan Wei was unpretentious; after each event, he would go home to buy groceries and cook for himself. The neighbors all spoke highly of him.

Many people, despite seeing him as an old man, still tried to play matchmaker for him, leaving him both amused and exasperated.

The wife of the security captain next to me is the most enthusiastic person.

"Master, how about we get together at my house again today? We're having a get-together at my place today..."

"Forget it."

Mao Shanwei interrupted the security captain, saying, "If you have enough manpower, go out and help catch the people from the New Energy Association who have absconded."

"Life is hard for everyone, so let's not let them cause any trouble."

The security captain stood at attention and said, "Understood."

The rat in the field, which was almost as big as a calf, was finally beheaded.

The audience erupted in cheers.

The gladiators, basking in the cheers, were taken away for disinfection; it was time for the show to end.

Mao Shanwei went out to go home and passed by the vegetable market, where he only bought one head of cabbage and half a pound of pork belly.

The stall owner knew him well and helped him slice the meat.

Mao Shanwei glanced around and asked, "Why are quite a few stall owners absent today?"

"They didn't come; they just left."

The stall owner said, "Those bastards from the New Energy Association usually act all respectable, but once they're exposed, some of them actually tried to blow up the power plant. Luckily, they were stopped."

"Once an order came down from above, everyone went out to help arrest people."

The stall owner broke his leg a few years ago and still has a prosthesis on his right leg; otherwise, judging from his indignant expression, he probably would have already rushed out.

Once he started this conversation, many meat buyers came to ask him about it, and other stall owners also revealed what they knew.

The discussions grew louder and louder, mostly criticizing Song Changle.

Mao Shanwei returned home, hung the vegetables behind the door, and sat in the living room for a few minutes.

"President Song, you are utterly disgraced."

He muttered to himself and sighed deeply.

If it were a false accusation, perhaps there would be a way to prove one's innocence to Heaven and Earth, but Song Changle, he really did those things!

Maoshan Wei was well aware of this.

His ears twitched slightly. He walked to the bedside table, pulled open a hidden compartment, took out his phone, and entered the password.

Sure enough, a communication icon was displayed above.

Mao Shanwei answered the call and whispered in his ear, "Yes, the New Energy Association has been completely exposed."

“I’m not entirely clear on Song Changle’s specifics… I strictly adhere to the principle of unilateral supervision, and he doesn’t know my true identity…”

"Chief, you're coming in person?!"

Mao Shanwei's expression changed slightly. He had been answering questions one by one, but now he took the initiative to speak.

"Although the New Energy Association has run into problems, my reputation in Jinling remains excellent. I may be able to gradually take over the affairs in Jinling. I have also mastered the Soul-Locking Technique of the Ghost and God Vanguard..."

When asked a question in return, Maoshan Wei suddenly fell silent.

"Most of those bases will be discovered, and I can't protect them."

The other party's voice, faintly coming through the microphone, said: "That's it. You can't protect it, but Jinling is the number one city in the south. Control over it is of paramount importance and cannot be abandoned."

"Moreover, the information I received indicates that the spirit creature in Jinling No. 7, which has not yet transformed into a precursor, already possesses forbidden strength. How could you possibly lock its soul, given such an anomaly?"

Mao Shanwei admitted his mistake, saying, "I was being presumptuous."

"Yes, we'll be in Jinling soon. Just wait and cooperate."

The voice on the other end said, "There's one more thing you need to prepare in advance..."

Mao Shanwei nodded repeatedly in response until the communication was disconnected.

He sat back on the sofa, his brow furrowed as he thought about the plan he had just overheard.

"If I succeed, my reputation will remain intact, even if I am disgraced."

His expression hardened, and he habitually turned on the radio to cook.

In the wasteland era, the first thing Nanjing restored was not television programs, but radio programs.

The New Energy Association's major announcements were, as expected, broadcast on the radio today.

Besides once again criticizing Song Changle and others' actions, the radio broadcast also mentioned another group of people, lavishing them with praise.

"Chu Tianshu?"

Mao Shanwei glanced back from the kitchen.

"Chu Yannian's bodyguard? I wonder where he found such a skilled fighter. He's certainly made a name for himself now, a good one at that..."

He listened to the radio host's unusually enthusiastic voice, and unconsciously stopped chopping vegetables, staring out the window.

It wasn't until the radio program ended that Mao Shanwei suddenly realized the moon had already risen outside. Frustrated, he threw down the kitchen knife and decided not to cook that night.

A few minutes later, he went out as if possessed.

(End of this chapter)