"Your Majesty, I'm just worried..." Qing Zhu voiced her concern.
"This matter can be handled by subordinates; you don't need to take such risks," Qing Zhu added.
The Insect Queen gave Qing Zhu a cold glance but remained silent.
Qing Zhu's nerves tensed, and after a long pause, she finally lowered her head.
No one was aware that the Insect Queen had infiltrated Abyss Star. Abyss Star was different from the imperial capital. The imperial capital had strict security checks; even a human infected by the Insect Queen would have difficulty entering, let alone the Insects themselves.
However, on Abyss Star, all checks were merely a formality. Many of the detection instruments were faulty, and even the surveillance systems were broken. This was because the majority of travelers were low-class citizens and ruthless pirates. To avoid their movements being tracked by the Imperial Military, they would deliberately damage the planet's monitoring equipment. This was precisely why Abyss Star had weak surveillance capabilities and a mixed population of people from all walks of life.
In the underground arena, Xavier did not ask Harvey to avoid the situation this time. He led everyone directly to the official arena, not the virtual one. Harvey was already eleven years old, no longer a child, and it was time for him to start experiencing some adult matters.
Upon entering the real arena, Harvey's eyes were immediately captivated by the actual stage. The fighters were real people, not simulations from the virtual arena.
Most importantly, the fighters on stage were ferocious; none were ordinary individuals. Every move and strike targeted the opponent's fatal weaknesses, without any mercy.
"Are you scared?" Xavier asked Harvey.
Harvey immediately shook his head, his eyes even shining with excitement. "No!"
"Dad, this is amazing! Can I go try?" Harvey asked.
"No," Xavier refused flatly, his expression unchanged.
Harvey: "..."
"Dad, don't you feel embarrassed when you say that?" Harvey muttered a moment later, turning to look at the stage.
"Why should I feel embarrassed?" Xavier raised an eyebrow.
Harvey huffed indignantly, "You agreed to bring me here, didn't that mean I could participate in the matches? You're deliberately toying with me, wanting me to beg you, right? You have bad intentions, you're not a good person!"
Xavier chuckled, "So, will you ask me?"
Harvey: "..."
Who was asking him?
But…
What if he really wanted to try?
While Harvey and Xavier were negotiating, on stage, a frail-looking man was shoved violently by a burly man opposite him, sending him flying backward and crashing heavily to the ground, spitting blood.
Lu Wanqing's expression changed, and she couldn't help but glance at Harvey.
Harvey also noticed the situation on the stage.
Thousands of spectators in the arena, seeing blood on the stage, cheered excitedly. Some even threw money onto the stage in their fervor!
On the stage, the burly man did not spare the weakened man even though he was spitting blood. He advanced, raised his hand, and struck the frail man with all his might.
Lu Wanqing's face paled completely, and she quickly reached out to cover Harvey's eyes.
Xavier explained, "The man currently being beaten is named Grete. Don't let his pitiful state on stage fool you. Off the stage, he beats his wife and children almost daily. He's also a degenerate gambler, and his wife has even been forced by him to solicit customers. All the money earned is gambled away."
Lu Wanqing's hand, which had been covering Harvey's eyes, involuntarily relaxed somewhat. She stared at Xavier, stunned.
Xavier's smile remained, but his indifference stood in stark contrast to the bloody scene unfolding in the arena below.
Xavier looked at Lu Wanqing and said, "Never pity someone you don't understand. You don't know if they are human or a demon!"
"Bad guy!"
"Hitting his wife and children, and forcing his wife into such things, he's a scumbag!!!" Harvey shouted.
Lu Wanqing flinched and quickly covered Harvey's mouth again.
"Although... but..." Lu Wanqing began, trying to explain something, but her countless words were stuck in her throat, unable to be spoken.
Instinctively, she wished her child could live in a world of light, forever unaware of its darkness. Yet, looking into Xavier's eyes, she inexplicably understood his meaning.
Harvey was already eleven, almost grown up. It was time to start preparing him to face the darkness of this world.
"Dad, can I go on the stage? I want to fight that man, I want to beat him to death!" Harvey exclaimed loudly.
Xavier looked down at Harvey and said coldly, "He'll likely be gone after this match. Don't even think about it."
The underground arenas on Abyss Star were vastly different from those in the empire. The arenas in the imperial capital were above board, so the rules were strictly enforced. All fights had to stop short of excessive force.
However, those high-sounding rules were meaningless on Abyss Star. Here, people fought for their very lives, and every participant was a notorious criminal wanted by the entire galaxy. Once they gained an advantage, they would do anything to kill their opponent!
Of course, if someone was clever enough to surrender before being killed, and the referee intervened, they might have a chance to survive. But such opportunities were rare, and only a select few could seize them.
A few minutes later, the fight on stage concluded. As Xavier had predicted, the emaciated man lay still on the ground, covered in blood, and was carried off the stage, no longer breathing.
The burly man on stage raised his arms triumphantly, cheering!
The tens of thousands of spectators below also cheered for the victorious fighter!
The match ended almost unnoticed, and the next one began. However, at the start of this bout, Lu Wanqing instinctively stood up. Appearing on stage was a child about Harvey's age, and it was a girl.
"Mommy!" Cui Cui, beside Lu Wanqing, trembled with nervous tension, her voice betraying her fear.
"Don't be scared. If you don't like it, we'll leave," Wei Xingzhou, faster than Lu Wanqing, covered Cui Cui's eyes, preventing her from watching.
Wei Xingzhou looked at Xavier. He was growing restless; this place was unsuitable for his Cui Cui, and he wanted to take her away.
"Sit down and watch for a while," Xavier said casually, looking at Wei Xingzhou.
"This isn't suitable for Cui Cui," Wei Xingzhou couldn't help but say.
"Daddy! It's Alice! She's Alice!!!" Just then, Xiao Bao, who had been obediently held by Lu Yang, suddenly became excited. He pointed at the girl on stage, then turned to his father, his small hand clutching his father's clothes tightly, agitatedly.