From Bullets To Billions novel Chapter 496

Chapter 496: No Worry

Trouble was brewing on all fronts.

At Na, Aron, and Sheri’s underground venue, what was supposed to be the safe, simple, and least complicated battlefield, the situation had flipped violently out of control. What had begun as nothing more than a betting event was now spiraling into something none of them could have predicted.

And at the same time, in a different location altogether, chaos had erupted for Chad, Joe, and Wolf.

Chad had been tossed into the pit of his venue like a sack of meat, thrown down alongside Joe and Wolf. Vivian, who they believed would play by the rules, had instead chosen to betray them. She placed a ten-million bounty on their heads, an amount large enough to drive every fighter, every Black Hound member, and even the private bodyguards accompanying wealthy customers into a frenzy.

Every single person in that venue now looked at the three men the same way:

As prey.

But the final front of trouble, and perhaps the most dangerous of all, was unfolding around Max.

He stood aboard a massive ship already sailing out into the dark open sea. The air was colder here, sharper, carrying the scent of salt and metal. Two of the Black Hounds’ most powerful figures, Darius Vale and Jett Corbin, were present on this floating arena. These two weren’t just key members. They practically controlled the entire Black Hounds syndicate.

Max knew exactly what he was walking into.

He had prepared for the worst.

And yet, at the same time, he still clung to a sliver of hope that this situation wouldn’t completely turn against him.

"Are you alright? We can always swap if you want to," Darno asked carefully.

Stephan shook his head. "It’s fine," he replied, steady and composed. "I’m alright. It’s not the first time I’ve fought in front of a crowd... and besides, this is something our group needs to deal with."

He looked back at Darno with a firm expression.

"You stay with the boss. Protect him if anything goes wrong."

Darno exhaled softly. There was disappointment hidden beneath his steady features. He had gone off to train, to find his old teacher again. During that time he had worked tirelessly, not just to reforge his strength, but to deepen his Vow as well. He had wanted to prove himself. To show that he had grown.

And deep down, he’d hoped to catch the eye of a particular individual.

As he stood by Max’s side, Darno allowed himself a small glance toward Jett Corbin, who was moving across the deck like a silent shadow, speaking briefly with others but never leaving Darius’ side.

’I thought maybe... just maybe... there would be a chance to redeem myself after what happened last time,’ Darno thought.

’But if I did beat Jett... there’s a good chance they’d just get jealous. They’d send everyone after us. And that wouldn’t help anyone.’

So he watched. And waited.

And held his disappointment quietly inside.

The fights on the ship had a very different atmosphere from the underground venues.

There was no cage.

No pit.

No blood-soaked concrete.

Instead, the fighting area was marked by a wide, open space of alternating black-and-white tiles, almost like an oversized dance floor. Polished. Clean. Elegant, strangely at odds with the brutality it was meant to host.

There were no strange ring-out rules.

If someone stepped off the tiles, the match didn’t end.

They simply had to return to the fighting area before the opponent could resume attacking.

It was a battlefield disguised as a ballroom.

And then the first fight of the night began.

The ship swayed with the movement of the ocean. Not gently, violently. Waves tossed the vessel from side to side, and the fighters felt every shift. Timing became unpredictable. Even strong fighters found themselves missing punches as the floor tilted beneath them.

Max leaned forward slightly, narrowing his eyes.

He was here to survive.

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