Upon hearing this explanation, Lu Yan sat silently in the booth for a long time.
Even though he had lost all hope for the people in the cyber version, the level of craziness still exceeded his expectations.
Watching the Steroid Warriors being dragged away like cargo and the two Gladiators taking the stage again, Lu Yan couldn’t help but ask softly:
"Is the mortality rate at the Gladiatorial Arena very high?"
"Almost 99% of the gladiators don’t survive more than two years, and once inside the arena, there are only two ways to shed this identity.
The first is to enhance the physical body to a certain level during their time as a gladiator, where the genes undergo a natural mutation under the influence of Spiritual Energy, thereby becoming a true Spiritual Ability User.
Spiritual Ability Users can gain official status in the Central City District, let alone in the Lower City District, making it easy to escape the deathmatch.
But the probability of this is extremely low; all gladiators use only the lowest-grade substandard Spiritual Energy Potions. Unless one’s drug resistance and industrial-grade spiritual energy absorption efficiency break through the roof, there’s no chance of becoming a Spiritual Ability User.
As for the second method, it’s to achieve one hundred consecutive victories and be granted the opportunity for Spiritual Transformation by the arena owner, allowing them to escape the gladiatorial arena once becoming a Spiritual Ability User.
However, each Spiritual Transformation costs at least over two million, and the arena owner is unwilling to pay this money. Once reaching seventy matches, the arena owner will try every possible way to make them fail."
At this point, Quentin sighed and added:
"Even if one becomes a Spiritual Ability User, it doesn’t mean everything will go smoothly afterwards.
Universal Giant Corporation has special policies for Spiritual Ability Users promoted from the Lower City District. The spiritual tax fees are significantly increased for the first three years.
Newly ascended Spiritual Ability Users from the arena either sell themselves to the corporation for high wages to pay the spiritual tax or carve out territory in the Lower City District to become a local leader and amass wealth."
"It seems like a way out, but it’s actually a dead end.
Selling oneself to the corporation is literally selling oneself. Most Spiritual Ability Users promoted from the Lower City District have outstanding abilities, and corporations love to use these new guys as human experiments.
If they get through it, they might gain some benefits, but if they can’t, there’s only death, and ordinary Spiritual Ability Users simply cannot oppose the corporation.
As for carving out territory in the Lower City District, it’s even more unrealistic. The people living in the trash caves of the Lower City can’t even afford to pay taxes, so where’s the loot for them to exploit?
The wealthy caves have long been carved up layer by layer, and the stable order is not something that new Spiritual Ability Users can shake."
At this point, Quentin sighed deeply, his eyes full of helplessness.
The room fell into a long silence again, and Quentin shook his head dejectedly, saying:
"You might wonder, since the mortality rate of the gladiatorial arena is so high, why do so many people join it each year? Isn’t it better to choose a more stable job?"
A trace of gloom passed through Quentin’s eyes as he walked to the window and stared at the gladiators on the arena, his thick arms pounding heavily on the glass, gritting his teeth: "It’s simple because they have no choice!"
"As people from the Lower City District, they have no choice from birth.
There are no schools in the Lower City District, so they cannot gain knowledge for upward mobility.
There are no job positions in the Lower City District; even basic factory jobs have long been replaced by automated assembly lines.
There are no hospitals in the Lower City District. Once sick, the only way is to use substandard Spiritual Energy Potions—a lucky shot might get them through, while bad luck only leads to death.
The vast majority of the lower-class people in the Lower City can only work as scavengers, finding valuable items for recycling in the trash mountains abandoned by the Upper City District.
If lucky, in a month, they can pay the sunlight tax and third-class air tax, then enjoy some long-missed sunlight and the neuro-excitement mist on the surface.
Unlucky ones can only curl up in the caves, barely able to pay the most basic taxes, and fill their stomachs with synthetic food.
Those who choose to become gladiators are unwilling to live such muddled lives.
Entering the gladiatorial arena to become a gladiator at least gives them a chance to escape the synthesized capsules and eat real ready-made foods, experience stunningly beautiful silicon-modified humans, and enjoy life they never had before.
Most of them don’t come for that elusive identity as a Spiritual Ability User; their goal is merely to live in a different way."
The booth fell into a long silence, leaving only the two’s breathing.
After a long while, Lu Yan’s voice finally sounded slowly:
"What a crazy world."
Lu Yan didn’t condemn the Life and Death Arena, although these things happened there, it was clear the arena wasn’t the root of everything.
His eyes flickered with thoughts, ideas clashing in Lu Yan’s mind.
Originally, he only wanted to pass these six months peacefully, but today’s events made him rethink his previous ideas.
At this moment, the box door, which had been tightly closed, swung open, and a bald man with skin gleaming in metallic luster stepped into the booth.
Using the Spiritual Eye Technique, Lu Yan could clearly see the bald man’s original skin had been peeled off, replaced by this layer of special metallic skin.
Beneath the surface of the metal skin, densely packed spiritual ability codes were neatly arranged, covering most of his body.
By Lu Yan’s estimate, the bald man had definitely undergone standardized Spiritual Transformation, far superior to the half-baked mod Quentin figured out himself, reaching about the fourth layer of Qi Cultivation in spiritual energy level.
"Quentin, my brother, long time no see!"
The bald man exaggeratedly opened his arms, looking all welcoming and enthusiastic.
Quentin naturally stood up embracing warmly.
"Shaq, the arena must be making a lot of credits recently with how popular it is!"
Shaq waved his hand, sighing as he said:
"Don’t even mention it; recently, those corporate hyenas have been targeting me, and most of the money I made got siphoned off. Not much ended up in my pocket.
Though, a few great prospects have emerged in the arena lately. I plan to upgrade their Spiritual Tattoos, and I could use your help with that."
"Leave that small task to me."
As they chatted and laughed, both slowly sat down, Shaq’s expression slightly more serious as he looked at Lu Yan and asked:
"And who would this be?"
Lu Yan smiled gently and said softly:
"I’m here this time to discuss a business deal with you, Shaq."
Lu Yan clapped his hands, and Quentin immediately placed the password box he had in his hands on the table.
Opening the silvery-white password box revealed row upon row of DNA helix-shaped injectors, arranged in colors of red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, purple, white, and black.
"This is the latest product from Jiulong Pharmaceutical Factory, the Nine Dragon Power Potion!"