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Chapter 825: 825

Chapter 825: Villain

Zhang Heng was about to face seven enemies on his own . To Black Mamba, there was no doubt that Zhang Heng was going to lose the fight . For the people that took advantage of the streets like them, bullying the weak and fearing those more powerful than them was a basic survival skill . When they had the advantage, they would magnify their victory as much as possible . And when the situation was unfavorable to them, they would run away .

Only those who had fully adapted to the environment and acted according to the circumstance could survive this land of insurmountable chaos and evil . If the area from Trajan’s Square to the Royal Palace was a symbol of the light and prosperity of Rome, then this place represented its dark and dilapidated side . The poor people here were struggling to get enough food every day .

Being merciless in this place was not something negative . Instead, it was an essential trait to stay alive . Therefore, the enemy with the mace who charged at Zhang Heng had a clear goal in his mind . He wanted to cripple Zhang Heng’s arm first . As long as his hands were destroyed, he would no longer be able to fight back . After that, they could do whatever they want to him .

The enemy with the mace thought he was merciful by avoiding the most vulnerable spots on Zhang Heng’s body . It was daytime, after all . Although this place lacked effective security forces, they could still get into a lot of trouble if they killed someone .

The enemy saw Zhang Heng charging towards him instead of retreating . In the end, the two collided . Although they weren’t very different in terms of body size, Zhang Heng still managed to send his opponent flying away .

Ever since Zhang Heng took part in this magical game, he had been actively working out . And he had double the time every day to train himself to become stronger . Now, his physical attributes were above average . Although he wasn’t nearly as strong as Bach and Terufelos, his strength was still excellent compared to ordinary people . Those thugs on the street could never reach him . Besides, he had just completed Gaby’s hellish training as well .

Zhang Heng knocked his opponent to the fruit stand on the side, and he crushed the fruit stand . Immediately, the second enemy charged at him . And this time, there was another person who helped him . Both were underground gladiators .

The underground gladiators were referring to gladiators who did not perform in the arena . They were generally men not strong enough to become official gladiators . For instance, Roman citizens who failed the final exams weren’t allowed to continue staying in the gladiator school . The older gladiators forced to go on retirement would usually choose to become underground gladiators .

The venues for their performances were usually very casual . They could just set up a stage or find an alley to hold an underground gladiator show . The spectators were mostly poor civilians or even slaves . Like a formal gladiatorial show, the organizer would encourage the audience to bet on the gladiators, and at the same time, loosen some of the rules to make the fight more exciting .

The unspoken set of rules that the professional gladiators followed did not apply to them . And they were also allowed to use all kinds of weapons . From time to time, they would hold a death battle for the gladiator, fighting until one of them was dead . Therefore, underground gladiators that managed to stay alive throughout their careers were generally very skillful .

These two underground gladiators were Black Mamba’s best fighters . They had won a lot of tough battles for Black Mamba before . That was why he had high hopes for them . However, what happened next made his jaw drop .

The two underground gladiators accustomed to fighting four or even five enemies had failed to live up to their previous toughness . One of them got a dagger planted in his arm as soon as he charged at Zhang Heng, and he could no longer hold on tight to the short sword in his hand .

But suddenly, Zhang Heng managed to catch the short sword that was about to fall to the ground, and he used it to block another person’s attack . And finally, he kicked the person’s chest, and it caused him to fall to the side .

Black Mamba panicked when he saw what happened to his men . Immediately, he waved his hand to ask the rest of the people to charge at Zhang Heng together . Zhang Heng quickly used his unique footwork to isolate his enemies . And in the end, he defeated them one after another .

Thus, the seven enemies were like the Calabash Brothers that attempted to save their grandfather . Not only did they fail to surround Zhang Heng, but they were also defeated and suffered different degrees of injuries . Black Mamba knew that he faced a very powerful enemy this time . Usually, it was impossible for the seven of them to fail in defeating a single enemy . Unfortunately, the enemy they faced this time was powerful enough to defeat all seven in one fell swoop . None of them managed to land a single hit on Zhang Heng . Even the two most powerful underground gladiators were defeated almost instantly . After the fight, Zhang Heng did not suffer any injuries on him .

“Who on earth are you…?” Black Mamba looked at Zhang Heng in surprise .

“Zhang Heng . ”

Zhang Heng had no intention to conceal his identity .

Black Mamba felt that the name sounded awfully familiar to him as if he had heard it from somewhere . The two underground gladiators reacted faster than Black Mamba . They were left in fear when they heard his name .

“You… Are you the easterner who claimed the championship at the Amphitheatrum Flavium?”

“That’s right,” Zhang Heng nodded .

“It’s you!” Black Mamba took a deep breath . Although these people were not slaves, most were unqualified to go to the Amphitheatrum Flavium to watch the gladiatorial performance . He had never watched the performance, but almost everyone in Rome had heard of Zhang Heng’s legendary tales in the Amphitheatrum Flavium after the final battle concluded .

Whether it was defeating the famous gladiators within ten moves or tame the bison empty-handed, all these glorious battles were unheard of, not to mention rumors about him being an incarnation of a god .

Black Mamba now regretted that he did not recognize Zhang Heng earlier . After all, Zhang Heng’s appearance was quite unique in Rome . However, the place they were at right now was inhabited by people of different races, and many foreigners stayed there . That was why Black Mamba did not think much about Zhang Heng’s appearance .

Besides, he was extremely unlucky to cross paths with the champion of the Amphitheatrum Flavium . After knowing Zhang Heng’s identity, Black Mamba had given up the thoughts of fighting back . He realized that he could never defeat Zhang Heng . Although they had an advantage in numbers, it was still impossible for them to defeat the man that had single-handedly defeated a bison . So it would be wiser for them to admit defeat .

As expected, Zhang Heng did not embarrass him further . After asking for his address, he let them leave the place . Black Mamba sighed in relief and quickly asked his men to help out those who had problems returning home .

The slave girl felt a little dissatisfied after she watched Zhang Heng beat them up . She then asked Zhang Heng, “Why did you let those villains go?”

“Villain? According to the definition of “villain,” everyone that lives in this place is some sort of villain . If we arrest all of them, the imperial prisons will not fit all of them . After that, no one will be willing to do those high-risk-low-return jobs,” Zhang Heng shook his head . “Although there are ways to determine whether a person is good or bad, we should also refer to the environment that they live in . The situation here is more complicated, and it is difficult for a good person to survive here . ”

“But isn’t it the patrol’s job to eliminate crime?” the slave girl asked in confusion .

Zhang Heng laughed, “It is not the patrol’s job to eliminate crime . We are supposed to make criminal activities more controllable . Don’t worry . I’ve done this once before . And now I’m just doing the same thing again . Not to mention this time I’m working with the authorities . Well, that’s it for checking the place out . You should go home . First, I have something to ask him . ”

Zhang Heng pointed at the teenager who snatched the slave girl’s purse .