Du Hong smiled and said, "Then it depends on whether Brother Ding can show me the ability to convince me."
In this kind of underground mining area, the leader of a force like Du Hong might not be the one with the highest combat strength, but he was definitely the one with the most powerful means. Therefore, Ding Meng did not stand on ceremony with him. He turned around and glanced around. Suddenly, he pointed to two people in the crowd and said, "You here. These two should be above you."
Du Hong was a little surprised. "Good eyesight."
The two people Ding Meng pointed at were a man and a woman. The man wasn't tall and didn't look impressive, so he wouldn't stand out in the crowd. The woman was another gorgeously dressed beauty other than Fang. She was also wearing an empire's military uniform, but her clothes seemed to have been washed many times, so they looked a little white.
"Meng Chen, Tong Yao!"
Du Hong took the initiative to introduce them. Among his people, these two were now the strongest. Previously, in order to compete for the T30 area, two more powerful masters had died in the arena.
Ding Meng suddenly smiled. "I wonder what the rules of the arena are like?"
Tong Yao took the initiative to step forward. "That's it!"
As she spoke, she flashed to Ding Meng's flank. With a backhand chop, she aimed at Ding Meng's temple.
To be honest, this woman's basic skills were not bad. When Ding Meng was at the advanced war venerable level, his hand chop was not as skillful as hers. This flash was not only fast enough, but also fierce.
With a "pa" sound, Ding Meng stretched out his palm and caught her palm easily.
At the same time, there were three extremely soft "pa pa pa" sounds. In the darkness, it seemed to be the sound of firecrackers. Tong Yao took a few steps back, and her steps seemed to be a little unstable.
This time, not only were the others surprised, but Tong Yao also showed a surprised expression. Ding Meng's palm seemed to have an invisible rebounding force that directly shook her back.
Tong Yao glanced at Du Hong again. Du Hong nodded calmly. Tong Yao was a light speed type origin ability user who had the potential to break through to the combat master level. Unexpectedly, she was easily beaten back. This proved that Ding Meng was at least a combat master level expert.
In fact, he did not know that Ding Meng did not want to go too far. If he really wanted to fight back, this woman would be a corpse now.
"Brother Ding, you're good!"
Du Hong looked very happy. After all, he had not guessed wrong. A person who could stay underground for several months without going up was definitely not a simple person.
Ding Meng said indifferently, "You can tell me now. What benefits can I get?"
Du Hong said, "If Brother Ding can win in the arena, we can choose the crystal-carrying matrix body first. Of course, I can guarantee Brother Ding's benefits."
His words were not attractive to Ding Meng at all. Ding Meng simply said, "I have a condition. If you want me to participate in the arena and choose the crystal-carrying matrix body, I have to choose it myself."
"No problem!" This was not a difficult request for Du Hong.
Ding Meng continued, "No matter what I choose, I want half of it."
"Hiss —" Everyone sucked in a breath of cold air.
Du Hong frowned. "This …"
Ding Meng said, "If this makes things difficult for you, then we don't have to talk anymore."
"Fine!
It's a deal! "
Du Hong clenched his teeth. "But I also have a condition. If you can help me get rid of Madman the day after tomorrow, you can take whatever you want. I won't hesitate."
Now in the T30, T36, and T40 zones, Di Hao in T36 posed the greatest threat to Du Hong. Madman was Di Hao's general. There were rumors that Madman had broken through to the combat master level this month. If that was the case, then Tongyao and Meng Chen would have to work together to have a chance of winning. However, in that case, there would be no one on Du Hong's side.
If Ding Meng really had the strength of a combat master, then Du Hong's side would have a great chance of winning.
"Brother Ding, if you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask."
Du Hong humbled himself. "The arena will open the day after tomorrow. Ah Fang will prepare anything you need."
"There's no need for that. Just bring me there when the time comes." After saying that, Ding Meng walked towards the entrance without looking back.
It was not until he was far away that Du Hong turned his eyes to Tongyao. "Yaoyao, what do you think of him?"
Tongyao nodded. "He's definitely not weaker than me."
Fortunately, Ding Meng was far away. If Little Rascal heard this, he would definitely laugh at her mercilessly. You think too highly of yourself. Not weaker than you?
Not to mention that Ding Meng hasn't fully recovered yet, with his current strength, he can easily crush ten of you.
Ding Meng had gained a lot from the trash mountain in the past three months, so when he returned to the surface, he took Little White to the center of the base to exchange for items.
In fact, none of the items in the base were useful to Ding Meng. However, Ding Meng still exchanged for a large amount of Anvil's various mixtures. He didn't have any other intentions other than to take care of Little White and avoid arousing suspicion.
However, when he was exchanging for various daily necessities on the first floor of the center, Han Xing happened to be there. Han Xing obviously had an impression of Ding Meng. "Not bad. You went to the trash mountain and stayed there for a few months."
This couldn't be hidden from Han Xing. Every area of the barracks had simple surveillance equipment. Ding Meng hadn't appeared in the barracks for three months, which meant that he had been working underground. Moreover, Little White had brought back high-grade metals several times in a row. Needless to say, it was Ding Meng who had dug them up.
Ding Meng said, "Officer Han, do you know about the arena?"
Han Xing looked at him with some surprise. "You're going to participate?
Which force do you represent? "
"T30 area!" Ding Meng didn't intend to hide it.
Han Xing said, "Du Hong's group?"
Ding Meng nodded. "Yes!"
Han Xing's face was a bit ugly. "In principle, Officer Sam doesn't support the operation of the arena. The Iron Mane Empire's higher-ups also don't like such places. However, the arena is indeed good for maintaining order in the trash mountain …"
Ding Meng could still understand the meaning of this official tone. To put it bluntly, the center of the base had tacitly acknowledged the existence of the arena. It was just that they didn't support it on the surface.
Ding Meng said, "Officer Han, what do I need to pay attention to?"
Han Xing couldn't help but smile bitterly. "You need to pay attention to your life."
Ding Meng pondered and said, "What if I can keep my life?"
Han Xing's expression became strange again. "Are you sure?"
Ding Meng nodded affirmatively. "I'm sure!"
Han Xing's expression became complicated. "When you first came, do you remember what I told you?"
Ding Meng said, "Of course I remember. I've always kept your words in mind."
Han Xing sighed. "Actually, Du Hong's strength is not bad. At least in this Akashic Sodium Concentration Camp. For an Imperial War Lord, this is not a place to stay for long."
Ding Meng didn't answer. He was carefully thinking about what Han Xing meant. "Shouldn't stay for long?" Wasn't it not here?
If not here, where could it be?
The Norse Empire?
Han Xing seemed to know what he was thinking. He sighed and said, "The Iron Mane Empire often exchanges prisoners with the Norse Empire. You have to know that the real enemy of the Norse Empire has never been the Iron Mane Tribe. The Iron Mane Tribe has a place like this because of their own development needs."
This was very obscure, but Ding Meng could still understand. No matter how the war between the Norse Empire and the Frogmen Kingdom ended, the Iron Mane Kingdom would benefit the most. As a small country, the Iron Mane Kingdom could wait for an opportunity to develop. The Iron Mane Kingdom and the Frogmen Kingdom had no time to care about other things.
Ding Meng was silent for a while. "So the opportunity to exchange prisoners isn't very common, right?"
Han Xing glanced at him. "That depends on who's paying attention."
Ding Meng didn't understand this. Fortunately, Han Xing took the initiative to explain. "Do you think people like Du Hong and Di Hao get a lot of attention?"
Ding Meng said, "Sir, are you saying that they don't get a lot of attention?"
Han Xing sneered. "People who don't even dare to fight in the arena are destined to spend the rest of their lives in this place. What kind of attention do they get?
Sir Sam has always admired people who dare to fight. The Norse Empire and the Iron Mane Empire share this. You're from the Empire, so you should have known this many years ago. "
The Norse Empire had always respected the law of force. Whoever had the biggest fist was the law.
"I understand. Thank you for your guidance, sir!" Ding Meng replied.
Han Xing looked at him. "Then do your best. The person who survives to the end will be the winner. Also, let me remind you, don't be afraid. Sir Sam likes to watch the performances in the arena when he's free. Sometimes, he'll be there as a guest."
Ding Meng nodded and didn't ask any more questions. In the hall on the first floor of the base, if he asked too much, it would inevitably arouse the suspicions of the Iron Mane soldiers. After all, Han Xing was a soldier of the Norse Empire. There were some things that needed to be said. Whether or not Ding Meng could connect with Han Xing depended on his own strength and intelligence.
After returning to the barracks and training alone for two days, Fang came as expected. The next thing they needed to do was to go to the arena.
The arena was located at the very center of the entire garbage mountain range. It was more than 700 kilometers away from the camp. With the facilities of the camp, most people would have to leave two days in advance. However, Du Hong was quite capable. He actually managed to get a small transport vehicle. This way, it would only take four hours of driving to reach the arena.
"The Akashic Sodium Arena was built two years ago, and it holds a tournament every three months on average. It's specifically used to settle disputes between the major factions. Each faction has three slots, and each slot is usually limited to one person, with a maximum of three …" Along the way, Ah Fang explained the rules of the arena to Ding Meng. "The rules are very simple. Either you win, or you die. Of course, you can also surrender. Regardless of whether you're a participant or an audience, everyone who enters has to pay a registration fee and an entrance fee …"
Ding Meng was surprised. "We have to pay?"
"Yes!"
Fang said seriously. "And it can't be the currency of the Frogmen Kingdom. It can't be the currency of the Norse Empire — the Galactic Coin!"
Ding Meng was stunned. "The Norse Empire's Galactic Coin? How do I get it in the Steel Mane Empire?"
Fang waved her hand. "You don't have to worry about the fees. Brother Hong has already arranged it for you. You can just go there."
Ding Meng said in a low voice, "The arena is probably related to the Base Center, right?"
Fang didn't hide it from him. "The Base Center will take ten percent of the revenue from the arena as construction and management fees."
Ding Meng asked calmly, "And then?"
Fang said, "The base camp is contracted by Sam. Of course, the fees have to be paid by the galactic merchants or the black market."
Ding Meng immediately understood. If the Steel Mane soldiers wanted to buy equipment, their first choice would be the Norse Empire. The empire's equipment was much better than the Frogmen Kingdom's. No wonder the arena charges Galactic Coin. Could it be that Captain Sam had connections with the Norse Empire?
Ding Meng fell into deep thought.