The end of the world is approaching, I'm handing myself over to the country.

"Very good, you know when to yield."

Brother Long nodded approvingly, but the smile on his scarred face sent chills down one's spine.

He released his grip, letting Lin Xiu fall to the ground, then turned to the two trembling old men, grinned, and revealed a set of teeth yellowed from smoking and drinking.

"Don't worry, we're just borrowing your son for a bit, nothing will happen."

His voice wasn't loud, but it was like a dull knife, cutting into the hearts of the elderly couple.

They didn't give the elderly couple a chance to refuse at all.

Lin Xiu was held tightly by two burly men and watched helplessly as Brother Long's men dragged him out of the house.

His parents' desperate cries echoed behind him, like countless needles piercing his heart.

"Dad! Mom!"

His screams were drowned out in the stairwell, and the only response he received was the mockery of Brother Long's henchmen.

Lin Mo, standing to the side, was clenching his fists so tightly they were cracking.

But he himself was unaware of it.

......

Lin Xiu was being pushed forward with a sack over his head.

The pungent smell of blood, sweat, and the stench of some unknown monster mingled together, creating a nauseating odor that assaulted Lin Xiu's nostrils.

Deafening cheers and roars came from all directions, crashing against his eardrums like a tidal wave.

Lin Xiu was roughly pushed into a rusty iron cage. The sandy ground beneath his feet was soaked with dark red blood, becoming sticky and hard.

The next second, the sack on his head was removed.

This is a huge underground space, with a simple metal grandstand in a circle, crowded with excited people.

They waved their arms, shouting at the top of their lungs, their faces contorted with excitement.

"Tear him apart! Tear him apart!"

"Giant spider! Go! Bite his neck off!"

At the other end of the iron cage, a giant spider, as big as a calf and with eight scarlet compound eyes, was restlessly waving its sharp limbs, dripping green corrosive venom from its mouthparts.

Squeak—hiss—!

A piercing, screeching broadcast blared overhead.

Welcome to the bloody arena! Let us welcome the newcomer, Buddha!

"Buddha! Buddha! Buddha..."

The shouts from all around were deafening.

Lin Xiu: "Buddha? Who is that?"

Lin Xiu muttered to himself, scratching his head as he spoke.

It was completely bare there; the hair had been shaved off before anyone entered.

In just a moment, Lin Xiu understood his predicament.

They captured me because they wanted to take advantage of the fact that players can resurrect, and use me as a plaything for others to amuse themselves in the arena!

"roar--!"

Before he could think any further, the spider monster let out a sharp hiss and pounced on him!

......

Lin Xiu didn't know how he got through that day.

He was torn apart, melted by venom, and pierced through the body by sharp arthropods.

Every death is an experience of extreme pain.

Then, they are reborn in the white light of the resurrection point, only to be immediately thrown into the next bloody battle.

He went from initial fear and resistance to numbness, and finally to being left with only a beast-like survival instinct.

When the seventh battle ended, he was covered in blood and had no strength to even stand. He collapsed like a lump of mud on the blood-stained sand, and the iron cage door finally opened.

Brother Long walked in slowly with his signature smile.

He looked down at Lin Xiu as if admiring an interesting toy.

"Not bad, I think you were born for this."

He crouched down and patted Lin Xiu's blood-stained face with his hand, the force neither too light nor too heavy.

"Good job, bro. You've had a tough day. Get some rest."

Brother Long stood up with a smile and straightened his collar.

"We'll continue tomorrow."

Will you come again tomorrow?

Lin Xiu collapsed to the ground, too weak to even lift a finger.

Despair, like icy seawater, completely overwhelmed him. He couldn't even utter a word of refusal or curse; he could only let the two burly men drag him off the ground like a dead dog.

The next day, just as dawn was breaking.

The door to Lin Xiu's house was knocked on right on time.

Two burly men barged in expressionlessly and skillfully lifted Lin Xiu, whose body was still trembling slightly from yesterday's injuries.

Brother Long followed behind, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, leisurely exhaling a smoke ring.

He didn't even glance at the pale-faced elderly couple on the sofa who hadn't slept all night, but simply smiled at Lin Xiu and said, "Let's go, brother, let's get to work."

On the way to the arena, Brother Long seemed to be in a good mood. He patted Lin Xiu on the shoulder like a caring older brother.

"Brother, I've already calculated it for you."

"At this rate, if you keep pushing and continue for another eight years, you'll be able to pay off most of the money you owe us."

He had a "I'm thinking of you" look on his face.

"Keep it up, I believe in you."

Eight years?

Lin Xiu suddenly stopped in his tracks, turned around in disbelief, and stared intently at Brother Long.

"What did you say? Eight years?!"

His voice became sharp and hoarse with anger and shock.

"I only borrowed three thousand source crystals! Even with compound interest, it shouldn't cost me eight years to fight!"

Brother Long's smile remained unchanged. He seemed to have heard an interesting question, and even raised his eyebrows with great interest.

"That's right, it's eight years."

He casually flicked off his cigarette ash, and his matter-of-fact manner infuriated Lin Xiu more than any humiliation.

"Why eight years? How could it take so long?!" Lin Xiu's chest heaved violently as he almost roared out the question.

Brother Long laughed, the scar on his face twitching happily.

He leaned close to Lin Xiu's ear and whispered in a tone of sharing a secret, "Healing you is free, is reviving you free?"

"And my lucky number is eight."

Seeing Lin Xiu's face flushed red with anger and turned deathly pale with absurdity, Brother Long's smile deepened.

He took a step back, looked Lin Xiu up and down, and stroked his chin as if deep in thought.

"If you don't think eight years is good... ten years is fine too."

"Perfect in every way, it has a better meaning."

At that moment, Lin Xiu understood completely.

Interest, repayment—it's all bullshit.

This group of people never intended to let him go from the very beginning.

They just wanted to find a legitimate reason to turn him into a money-making tool that could be exploited endlessly until he died.

The next few days became an endless cycle of hell.

Every day they were taken to the arena, struggling between life and death, returning home covered in wounds and filled with humiliation, only to continue the cycle the next day.

His body grew increasingly weak due to the frequent deaths and rebirths, and his mind was on the verge of collapse.

That evening, when Lin Xiu was dragged home again, he saw his parents sitting on the sofa.

In just a few days, the two elderly people seemed to have aged more than ten years.

My mother's temples have turned completely white, and my father's back has become completely hunched over.

They sat there in silence, without turning on the lights, the entire living room filled with an atmosphere of deathly stillness and despair.