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.
