Chapter 409 - 365: Raising the Stakes! The Mexicans’ Spying

When Wu Yun said this, Takeda Nobuyoshi looked constipated.

Takeda Nobuyoshi frowned. After a moment of thought, he beckoned to his bodyguard, who immediately came before him.

"Mr. Nakagawa, go tell Samurai! If he KOs or gets a submission on Iron Fist in the next match, I’ll give him a US$200,000 bonus too!"

What made Takeda Nobuyoshi determined was that the next round—the semifinals—was crucial for him. If his fighter won, he would very likely win his bet with Wu Yun.

"Hai!"

In the locker room rest area, each fighter had their own small, private room. The casino was quite generous in this regard.

Iron Fist was leaning back on the sofa, his eyes glued to a video of his next opponent, Samurai.

It was within the rules for the casino to provide fighters with videos of their opponents’ matches. The provided footage consisted of high-definition, uncensored replays of the earlier rounds.

Iron Fist wasn’t focused on the Three-Phase Moon Kick that Samurai had just used to KO Viper. Instead, he was studying the Mukai Lock that Samurai had employed in the first round.

While watching Samurai’s moves, Iron Fist noticed a particular trait: deception. Before executing either the Mukai Lock or the Three-Phase Moon Kick, Samurai would habitually use other movements to bait his opponents, tricking them into revealing an opening.

Just as Iron Fist was contemplating how to face Samurai, there was a knock on the door.

"Who is it!?" Iron Fist got up but didn’t open the door. In a place where he knew no one, a bit of caution was necessary.

A voice replied in slightly stilted Chinese, "Mr. Iron Fist! It’s Jenny. There’s a gentleman from Huaxia outside who wants to see you!"

Recognizing the voice of the staff member who had been assigned to him for the past few matches, Iron Fist called out, "It’s unlocked! Come on in!"

A woman in professional attire then walked in with a Huaxia man in his twenties. "Mr. Iron Fist," she said, "this gentleman says he’s here to deliver a message from his boss."

After speaking, Jenny remained standing in the doorway, showing no intention of leaving.

Iron Fist looked at the Huaxia man, who seemed vaguely familiar. He suddenly remembered: this was the man who had been sitting behind the compatriot on the second floor—the one who’d cheered him on before his match.

Letting his guard down a little, Iron Fist smiled and said, "Hello! May I ask your name?"

Wang Hao felt a great deal of admiration for a fellow countryman who dared to participate in such a competition all by himself. He replied politely, "Hello, Mr. Iron Fist. My name is Wang Hao. I’m secretary to Mr. Wu Yun."

"Mr. Wu Yun?" The name sounded familiar to Iron Fist, though he couldn’t quite place it. "What business does Mr. Wu have with me?"

Wang Hao smiled. "Our boss has high hopes for you! He said that if you KO the Japanese fighter in your next match, he’ll give you a bonus of US$200,000! If you only win on points, the bonus will be US$100,000."

Iron Fist’s breathing grew heavy; he could hardly believe it. After all, the appearance fee for the round of sixteen had only been US$10,000. Even for the quarterfinals, it was just US$30,000.

Prize money was only awarded starting from the semifinals; all the earlier rounds only paid an appearance fee.

In other words, if he KO’d Samurai and advanced in the semifinals, he wouldn’t just get the casino’s US$50,000 appearance fee and US$50,000 prize—he’d also receive an additional US$200,000.

Standing by the door, Jenny was only mildly surprised and didn’t give it much thought. This sort of thing—a wealthy spectator sweetening the pot—usually happened in the finals, but it wasn’t unheard of for a single match either.

As long as no one was trying to fix the match, the casino generally didn’t get involved. Besides, word of the grudge between the Huaxia and Japanese men had already spread among the staff.

Iron Fist wasn’t completely swept away by the sudden windfall. Instead, he asked cautiously, "I know a fellow countryman would want to support me, but I’d still like to know Mr. Wu’s reason for doing this!"

Wang Hao smiled. "There’s no ulterior motive. It’s just that upstairs, President Wu has a bet with a certain Japanese man. The stakes are huge—ten million US Dollars! And you are the key to President Wu winning that bet!"

Iron Fist glanced at Jenny, a silent question in his eyes. ’After all, it’s not unheard of for your own countrymen to screw you over.’

Jenny smiled. "It’s true! The private wager between Mr. Wu and Mr. Takeda is an open secret here at the casino. They’re betting on a total of 15 matches, with one point for each correct prediction. Their scores are currently tied."

"Both gentlemen made the same pick for the next two fights, so the score will still be tied after those. The tiebreaker will be your semifinal match against Samurai!"

Only then did Iron Fist finally relax, a smile breaking across his face. "Secretary Wang, please tell Mr. Wu that I will give it everything I have to take that Japanese fighter down!"

Smiling, Wang Hao pulled a business card from his bag and offered it. "Mr. Iron Fist, this is President Wu’s card. Our President Wu is a martial arts enthusiast himself, and quite skilled at that. He said he hopes to have a chance to exchange pointers with you in the future."

"I won’t disturb your rest any longer. Oh, right! Samurai next door will probably get an offer for a bonus to KO or submit you, too. Good luck! Give him hell!"

As the door closed, Iron Fist’s face was a mask of excitement and raw emotion, his eyes misting over. ’Honey! We have the money for your bone marrow transplant!’

Then, his expression hardened with determination.

Looking at the business card in his hand, Iron Fist murmured the titles aloud: "Chairman of Little Red Car Co., Ltd., Kunpeng Games, Galaxy Network..."

’It’s him!’

Staring at the string of titles, Iron Fist knew he had just met his benefactor. He carefully placed the business card in his backpack before finally sitting down in front of the television.

At that moment, the third match of the quarterfinals was about to begin.