Chapter 162: 162

No one was allowed to surrender in the fight . Though the loser was now unconscious, the scar-faced man had no intention to stop bludgeoning his opponent up, knowing that he had to put on a good show by crushing him to oblivion . He finally stopped when his opponent’s face was covered in blood and torn flesh . The cheers from the audience got louder and louder, fueled by the ever-increasing violence and gore .

It seemed like scarface, the winner, was getting tired as well . Seeing that his time was almost up, he stood up, walked to the side of the stage, and lifted a heavy bronze statue, intending to use it to deal a final blow to his opponent . Suddenly, the audience screamed . It was too late when scarface realized that something wasn’t right . From the back, his opponent suddenly dealt a massive blow to the end of his head! This caused him to lose all strength and as he dropped the statue in shock . It landed directly on his feet!

The bronze statue weighed around 100 pounds, crushing both his feet under its weight . Before he could even scream in agony, someone grabbed his arm . Nobody expected his opponent to be still strong enough to continue fighting . Without hesitation, he came up with every bit of strength he had and snapped his opponent’s arm .

Scarface was now sweating bullets, shuddering in excruciating pain from his crushed arm and feet . The audience cheered even louder in delight as they witnessed the unexpected plot twist . Seeing the opportunity at hand, he instantly grabbed the other arm and broke it as well . Naturally, he wasn’t about to let scarface attack him anymore . As a final hurrah, he wrapped his arm around his opponent’s neck and attempted to squeeze as hard as he could .

Scarface made some unintelligible grunts as he tried his best to free himself from the choke . Alas, his final struggle was pointless because both his arms were broken . It was apparent that the scarface would soon get to meet his maker .

Instead of watching the brutal fight, the middle-aged man chose to focus his gaze on Zhang Heng, seeming as if he could read his mind and peek into his soul . After a short pause, he continued,

“I have to admit that I had made a mistake when I negotiated with you earlier . We have underestimated your capabilities . My employee has also been rude to you without my consent . I’m sorry that you’ve encountered so many problems during your first voyage . I actually invited you here to apologize to you personally . I hope that you can reconsider partnering with the black-market alliance again . ”

“Be partners with your lot?”

“You have proven your capabilities to all of Nassau . I’m willing to talk to the alliance to adjust the initial price that we proposed . We might even offer you the highest price that we could, as long as you stop working with the woman called Carina . ”

“Do you really think that a new merchant like her is powerful enough to go against the entire alliance? Carina’s father used to be a black-market merchant in Nassau, and many from the alliance knew him personally . It was only because of her father that we decided not to make her life difficult . I have to compliment her for keeping the secret so well . We were only informed that she was working with you when the Jackdaw returned from her first voyage . Our grace was the only reason why she could complete her tasks without facing any obstacles . If the alliance did decide to do something about her, I promise you that there would be no way that she could survive in Nassau . ”

“If that’s the case, Mr . Malcom, why the rush to renegotiate with us then?”

“Although I believe that order makes this a beautiful world for us to stay in, I know that things are always difficult in the beginning . Three months ago, the alliance set up a new set of purchasing rules for Nassau’s captains . We spent a great deal of effort in coming up with a system for the trades occurring on this island . It’s no easy task to keep it going, but I believe we will eventually conquer all challenges . It’s always a good thing if the whole process can be sped up . ”

Malcolm grabbed a glass of wine from a passing butler .

“Recently, there have been many small-time pirates who consider you their anti-alliance leader . They have all been motivated by your brazenness, and this is a problem for us . By the way, have you played poker before, Captain Zhang Heng?”

“Of course . ”

“To me, good timing is needed to win a poker game . The moment you have a good hand, you should instantly place your bet . If you miss the golden opportunity, you’ll be unable to win any money . Now would be your golden opportunity to win the game . Once Carine is out of the picture, the black-market alliance will regain its stability, and the small-time pirates will be left with no other option but to accept the new reality . By that time, whatever ace up your sleeve would become useless . You will regret it if you don’t accept my offer today . ”

“Is that a threat?”

“No . It’s just a friendly reminder . I admire everything that you’ve achieved thus far . The last person managing to make his name known in the entire Nassau was William Kidd . You should know that you have a bright future ahead of you, but you need to select your trading partners with the utmost care . I don’t wish to become your enemy someday . ”

On the stage, scarface finally stopped struggling as he breathed his last . One of his legs still twitched and convulsed . On the other hand, his opponent had finally used up all his strength and had collapsed to the ground . The back of his head was still bleeding profusely, covering the stage in blotches of red . As the gruesome battle came to an end, the audience cheered loudly and clapped for them .

The butler then ordered the servants to clean up the stage .

“Please . Excuse me for now,” said Malcolm .

Holding the glass of wine in his hands, he walked onto the stage as he trampled over the blood . Clearing his throat, Malcolm then gave a short opening speech . He thanked everyone who had supported the black-market alliance . The end of his speech marked the official beginning of the banquet . There was a violinist who had waited backstage for some time to begin his performance . Then, in a long line of servants, the food was finally served .

As for the scarface and his opponent, they were carried out of the ballroom . Malcolm did not stay at the banquet for too long though seeming as if he had something urgent to deal with . He left right after he finished his speech .

Zhang Heng, Anne, and Billy had no intention to stay overnight at the mansion as well . They were ready to leave once they finished their food . As they were leaving, Zhang Heng suddenly stopped walking when he arrived at the gate . He saw two people who were under an apple tree digging the ground with shovels .