Chapter 30 · Pick One in the Cage

The cage door slammed shut behind Chen Feng. Steel mesh, rust flaking off the welds. Ten feet by ten feet. Overhead lights buzzed and flickered. Blood already slicked the concrete under his boots.

Across from him, a man sagged against the far wall. Ribs showed through torn skin. One eye swollen shut. The other eye tracked Chen, dull and animal. The guy's breathing rattled wet in his chest.

"Simple choice." Steel Claw stood outside the cage, arms crossed. His voice carried over the crowd noise from the ring tiers above. "Kill him. I give the girl the antidote. Or don't, and we see how long she lasts."

Chen looked past the mesh. Su Mian sat zip-tied to a folding chair twenty feet away. Her lips had gone blue at the edges. Sweat plastered her hair to her temples. Old Xu crouched next to her, one hand on her shoulder. His face was gray.

Chen's left hand still throbbed where he'd snapped off two of his own iron fingers to get them out of Su Mian's throat. The stumps had already started to scab over with dull metal. He flexed the remaining three fingers.