Invincible through Touching Corpses-Chapter 56 - 55: A Life-and-Death Arena Match?

Hearing Xu Haishui say he had a recording, the furious expression on Qiu Taifei’s face instantly turned ugly.

He wasn’t the only one; the expressions on the faces of every member of the Wild Wolf Corps changed to varying degrees.

Upon seeing this, the patrol captain, Wang Hongjun, knew exactly who was lying.

As Xu Haishui spoke, he had already activated the holographic display and started playing a video.

Everyone present watched the holographic video with mixed feelings. There was, however, one exception.

Shen Han raised her wrist-mounted computer, glanced at the time, and frowned slightly.

"I’m heading down first," she whispered to Fang Tianhe.

Fang Tianhe nodded. He was also worried about Lin Xinghai, so it was true that someone needed to go on ahead.

And so, under everyone’s gaze, Shen Han entered the elevator shaft and departed. Of course, Qiu Taifei was in no position to stop her.

As for Wang Hongjun, he frowned upon seeing this, but since the rest of the Heaven-Sundering Mercenary Corps remained where they were, he said nothing.

The video wasn’t long, and it soon finished. The entire sequence of events was now perfectly clear.

Faced with such irrefutable evidence, Qiu Taifei couldn’t possibly deny it, no matter how shameless he was. Furthermore, Xu Haishui’s earlier words had also given him serious pause.

The man had only learned to record evidence because he knew what had happened between Lin Xinghai and the Axe Gang.

’If that’s true, does that mean something went wrong with the Axe Gang? Did someone manage to get evidence on them, too?’

As soon as he thought of this, he sent a message to Huai Feifu to ask.

But by the time the video ended, he still hadn’t received a reply, which made him even more agitated.

"Commander Qiu Taifei, do you have anything else to say?" Wang Hongjun asked.

At this point, the whole situation was crystal clear. The Wild Wolf Mercenary Corps had unilaterally provoked the incident.

Fang Tianhe’s reaction might have been a bit extreme, but as the saying goes, Mercenaries live with their lives on the line. They could die on their very next mission.

So, it was understandable for them to have extreme behaviors or even twisted personalities, as long as they could control themselves and not harm others.

Qiu Taifei remained silent in the face of Wang Hongjun’s question.

As if expecting this, Wang Hongjun continued, "In that case, according to the provisions of the Public Security Act..."

"Wait," Fang Tianhe interrupted. "According to the Public Security Act, the maximum penalty for the Wild Wolf Mercenary Corps’ actions is a fine of 10,000 Points and an order to kill 10,000 Zombies without compensation. That punishment is far too light."

Qiu Taifei’s brow furrowed in anger at this. ’How is that too light?’ A penalty like that would cripple an ordinary First Level Mercenary Corps.

After all, not every First Level Mercenary Corps was like Heaven-Sundering, with strength comparable to a Second Level Mercenary Corps. Many First Level Mercenary Corps didn’t even own a single Mecha.

Fang Tianhe’s words didn’t just annoy Qiu Taifei; even Wang Hongjun was a bit displeased. "Commander Fang Tianhe, what are you implying? If you are dissatisfied with my ruling, you can file a lawsuit with the court..."

"Captain Wang, I mean that I wish to request a life-and-death duel," Fang Tianhe said.

His voice wasn’t loud, but it landed like a bombshell, sending a wave of shock through the assembled Mercenaries.

Qiu Taifei’s face instantly darkened, and even Wang Hongjun looked astonished.

A life-and-death duel was a formal means of resolving irreconcilable conflicts between Mercenaries.

Take the current conflict between the Heaven-Sundering Mercenary Corps and the Wild Wolf Mercenary Corps. Who could guarantee that the Wild Wolf Mercenary Corps wouldn’t seek revenge later?

But once both parties agreed to a life-and-death duel, they could fight to the death, and no one would be held responsible for the outcome.

Of course, one couldn’t just request a life-and-death duel casually. First, one had to pay a non-refundable application fee of 10,000 Points, regardless of victory or defeat.

Once the application was submitted, if the opposing party accepted the challenge, the military would arrange the duel.

After that, their fates were in their own hands.

More often than not, however, the challenged party would refuse. Did that mean the 10,000 Points were wasted? Of course not.

Refusing a life-and-death duel was tantamount to admitting defeat. For the next three months, the result would be posted on the Mercenary Guild’s public notice board, informing all Mercenary Corps that a certain mercenary had admitted their inferiority and surrendered.

The blow to one’s reputation was significant, especially for well-known Second Level or Third Level Mercenary Corps.

Some might not care about their reputation, but the penalties for surrendering didn’t stop there. The victorious party would gain numerous privileges over the loser.

These included priority access to shooting ranges, priority rental of repair bays, and priority allocation from logistics.

The winner could even order the loser to leave any public space.

For instance, if Fang Tianhe won, he could appear at the Mercenary Guild and forbid Qiu Taifei and the entire Wild Wolf Mercenary Corps from taking a single step inside.

This extended to restaurants, shopping centers, dance halls, and other similar places.

In short, the victor held this power in any public setting. They could even be standing on a street and demand the loser take a detour.

Throughout this period, the losing party would be under constant 24-hour surveillance by patrol drones to prevent any underhanded retaliation.

This surveillance would last for three months.

If the victor still felt unsatisfied or suspected future retaliation, they could spend another 10,000 Points to extend the period, potentially repeating the cycle indefinitely.

Simply put, it was the law of the jungle, plain and simple.

The only difference was that the weak received a certain degree of protection—at least they wouldn’t lose their lives.

After Fang Tianhe submitted his request for a life-and-death duel, Wang Hongjun was stunned for a moment before recovering and asking for confirmation.

Fang Tianhe not only confirmed his request but also immediately paid the 10,000 Point deposit.

Now, it was Qiu Taifei’s turn to be in a tough spot.

The overall strength of the Wild Wolf Mercenary Corps was greater than that of the Heaven-Sundering Mercenary Corps.

However, when it came to a life-and-death duel... if they hadn’t just clashed, he might have actually accepted.

But having personally experienced Fang Tianhe’s power, how could he dare step into that ring?

After a long silence, Qiu Taifei turned and left without a word. The other members of the Wild Wolf Mercenary Corps hastily retreated as well.

Wang Hongjun wasn’t surprised. He turned to Fang Tianhe and said, "Your request has been processed. If the other party accepts, we will notify you in advance. If there is no response within 24 hours, it will be considered an automatic forfeit on their part."

"Additionally, your request for a life-and-death duel does not conflict with their punishment for violating the Public Security Act. We will proceed with their judgment according to the law."

"Furthermore, as the aggrieved party, if you choose not to press charges, we can reduce their penalty. I was wondering if you..."

"Press charges!" Fang Tianhe declared before Wang Hongjun could even finish his sentence.

Wang Hongjun nodded, made a note, and then departed with his squad.

Only then did Wu Yan and Xu Haishui crowd around him.

They were burning with curiosity about Fang Tianhe’s uncharacteristic behavior just now and had a million questions for him.