"Boom!"
Another thunderous crash echoed through the bustling entertainment city.
The violent vibration caused the chips on the surrounding gambling tables to jump slightly, drowning out the clattering of dice in the distance.
Ren Yi reacted instantly, darting to the side the moment the sound rang out.
A second later, the gambling table in front of him was flipped halfway up by a massive force before slamming back down under the pull of gravity, hitting its original spot with a heavy thud.
"You bastard! I haven't seen you in how long, and you're already scamming kids!?"
Ren Yi didn't even need to look to know that it was Dr. Lin shouting.
Just now, Dr. Lin had charged over like a runaway truck, slamming Dr. Zhao to the ground before he could even react.
At this moment, Dr. Zhao was being pinned firmly to the floor by Dr. Lin, his arms twisted behind his back.
However, there wasn't a hint of embarrassment or anger on his face. Instead, he was laughing even more happily than before, his grin nearly reaching his ears.
"Oh my, isn't this my dear kin brother?" Dr. Zhao drawled, his tone dripping with mockery. "Why so excited to see me? Did you miss me?"
The veins on Dr. Lin's forehead throbbed with rage. He grabbed Dr. Zhao's white lab coat by the collar and yanked his upper body off the ground.
"I warned you not to call me that! It's disgusting!"
"Fine, fine, I won't call you 'kin brother.'" Dr. Zhao intentionally leaned into Dr. Lin's ear, whispering teasingly. "Then how about I call you my dear Classmate Lin? Would that work?"
"Thud!"
Dr. Lin reached his limit. A fist the size of a sandbag slammed into Dr. Zhao's face.
Unfortunately, a golden luster flashed across Dr. Zhao's face, leaving the visage that was identical to Dr. Lin's completely unharmed.
Ren Yi retreated to the side. He couldn't get involved in the grievances of adults, so he could only stand by and silently cheer for Dr. Lin.
Still, why was the way Anomalies settled their scores so... primitive?
Was it because the entertainment city had a rule against mutual harm, making flashy abilities useless, so they felt it was more practical to vent their anger through fist-to-flesh combat?
Ren Yi felt a bit worried. Would Dr. Lin's punch count as a violation of the rules?
But since no actual harm was done, the entertainment city probably wouldn't be able to hold it against him.
Just then, Ren Yi felt a hand rest on his shoulder.
Someone had arrived at his side.
"Brother?" He looked up and, sure enough, saw Ren Man's habitually expressionless face.
Ren Man gave a slight nod. His gaze moved past Ren Yi to the two figures tangled in a mess on the floor, his brow furrowing imperceptibly.
"Brother, do you know the one on the ground who looks like Dr. Lin... uh..."
Ren Yi started to speak, but suddenly realized a very serious problem.
He couldn't tell which one was Dr. Lin and which one was Dr. Zhao anymore.
The two not only had identical faces but also wore identical white lab coats. Their hairstyles, expressions, and even their tones of voice were somewhat similar.
Now that they were scuffling together, Ren Yi couldn't distinguish between them unless they spoke.
But it didn't matter if he couldn't tell; he chose to dump the problem onto Ren Man.
"Anyway, Brother, is there any way you can make them stop?"
Pausing for a moment, Ren Yi seemed to remember something and added hesitantly.
"I might have a way to deal with him."
However, Ren Man showed a rare look of difficulty.
Ren Yi could sense that he was a bit... disgusted.
But why?
If it was disgust, it shouldn't be directed at Dr. Lin, since they were already well-acquainted.
In that case, was his brother disgusted by Dr. Zhao?
But weren't both Dr. Lin and Dr. Zhao Heart Fiends? Was there some special difference between them?
By now, the commotion had caught the attention of several patrons in the entertainment city.
As everyone knows, it is human nature to flock toward a spectacle.
Following a crisp shout of "There's a fight over here! Come look!", a large circle of people instantly gathered. The previously orderly casino became exceptionally lively as various discussions broke out.
Ren Yi heard plenty of chatter from the surroundings.
"Whoa, what kind of play is this? They look exactly the same. A brotherly feud?"
"What's the point of fighting? In the entertainment city, you're better off just trash-talking. At least you can get some satisfaction out of it."
"Exactly. With the rules protecting everyone, no matter how many punches you throw, you won't hurt anyone. It's a total waste of energy. Might as well go place a few bets; that's more interesting."
Ren Yi's mouth twitched.
It seemed there were many Participants who had stayed in the entertainment city for a long time. They had long since figured out the "no mutual harm" rule and knew how broken the resulting invincibility was.
So in their eyes, fighting inside the entertainment city was utterly futile—a pure farce.
It was like watching an immersive version of digital cricket fighting; they were just here for the entertainment.
Even though such a large commotion had been caused, Ren Yi noticed that the entertainment city still showed no intention of intervening.
He instinctively looked around and soon spotted the male waiter he had met at the beginning.
The man was standing not far behind them, leaning against a pillar with his arms crossed, watching the scene play out.
The rabbit mask covered the upper half of his face, hiding his expression, but the corners of his mouth that were visible were curled upward in an unnaturally exaggerated arc.
As if noticing Ren Yi's gaze, the waiter spoke up proactively.
"Mr. Ren Yi, please, look."
Ren Yi could hear the schadenfreude in his voice.
"This is... the left brain boxing the right brain."
Rate on N.U.
