Crime Prison Island
Chapter 377 - 175 I’m Not an SSR

Chapter 377: Chapter 175 I’m Not an SSR

In the hall, performances proceeded in sequence.

Amid the atmosphere created by the professionals, the venue gradually heated up.

Particularly after the appearance of two sizzling hot contenders, the audience finally began to tip various candidates.

People started to forget the unpleasantness they felt upon entering; it was just a minor hiccup.

On the second floor, three individuals from Tangren City gazed out from the floor-to-ceiling window.

Wei Lan’s gaze searched everywhere, but he couldn’t find Gao Xin’s figure.

"Gone, huh... seems like he’s given up."

"No, he hasn’t!" Ling Sha’s eyes sharpened, focusing on a girl in the crowd.

There sat Gao Shu, wearing the battle-damaged version of the Crimson Rose armor, all by herself in a corner, eating and watching the show with relish, having spit out a tableful of melon seeds.

"That armor, I gave it to Tai Sui," Ling Sha said.

Ling Sha naturally recognized her own armor, especially with its distinct battle scars.

At that moment, seeing it on Gao Shu’s body, Ling Sha’s face stiffened, and she even felt somewhat panicked.

She turned back to Luo Yi to complain, "This was meant to recruit talent for Tangren City; what right do you have to stop me?"

Luo Yi coldly replied, "Don’t give me that nonsense. Are you really doing this to recruit talent? You’re just lusting for her body."

Ling Sha wasn’t the least bit flustered by his accusation; instead, she retorted, "So what if I am? If you won’t help, at least don’t get in my way."

"You’re afraid of Sivina, but I’m not."

Luo Yi said sternly, "I’m not afraid of Sivina; I’m afraid of a country war."

Ling Sha heatedly said, "Afraid of a country war means you’re being a coward! Are we from Tangren City scared of Sea King Port? You’ve peaked in potential, so now you’re thinking of settling down!"

Wei Lan sharply pulled Ling Sha back, "Enough! I won’t allow you to talk to Luo Yi like that!"

Seeing Wei Lan enraged, Ling Sha realized she misspoke.

Although not very close with Luo Yi, she was good friends with Wei Lan, so she immediately mumbled, "Brother Wei Lan, Brother Luo Yi, if you two won’t get involved, fine, just let me go alone."

Luo Yi coldly said, "It’s precisely because we have lawless people like you that wars become uncontrollable."

"Indeed, I’m thinking about stability because I understand far better than you the difficulties that come with achieving peace."

"I won’t allow anyone to disturb the peace of Tangren City. Today, stay put right here, you’re not going anywhere."

Ling Sha, frustrated, said, "He saved me in the game; I promised him I would stand by his side in this fight. If you don’t let me help, wouldn’t that be breaking my promise to him?"

"Tai Sui is a legend; one day he will rise. Aren’t you afraid of offending him by doing this?"

Luo Yi harshly said, "We have already done enough to help him. If that offends him, then he is nothing but a beast."

"Even if one day he becomes a legend, he’ll just be a legendary beast!"

Ling Sha was speechless, seeing that Luo Yi was resolute, she could only squat sullenly in front of the window.

She was someone with a strong sense of righteousness; Lin An’s betrayal of Gao Xin made her feel as though she had stabbed him in the back herself, and it was a feeling she found extremely uncomfortable.

Now, having promised Gao Xin she would fight alongside him, and yet unable to lend a hand, she felt incredibly distressed.

However, this was her own personal matter; Luo Yi had not made such a promise, and Wei Lan was merely there to support the battle.

They had fought, they had helped. With Sivina’s arrival, it was not feasible to continue; one cannot precipitate a major conflict between the two cities over such a trivial issue.

"Boom, boom, boom."

Ling Sha squatted in frustration when suddenly the sound of taiko drums filled the space.

The array of women on stage split to either side, causing the audience to gasp in surprise.

"The Oiran is about to make her entrance!"

"It’s only this time of year we can easily see Miss Chizuru perform."

First came a drumbeat like the harbinger of a storm, followed by the melodious accompaniment of a shamisen.

The music incorporated some classical tunes but also made bold innovations, with dynamic electronic sounds and clashing swords in the backdrop.

"Eh? This year’s music has really changed, it’s not the usual romantic stuff."

"It’s so lit, like rousing battle music."

"I’m even more excited for Chizuru’s new dance this year."

"Didn’t you see the program? It’s called ’Dragon Cut’."

"Hahaha, I guessed as much—last year Fujihara Tomohiro boasted of his dragon-slaying exploits, and now the Yakuza are singing his praises."

The crowd was refreshed by the notion, and even though they deduced it was a promotion of Fujihara Tomohiro’s achievements, they were still full of anticipation.

The sound arrived before she did.

To an invigorating roll of drums, the Oiran Chizuru shot out from backstage.

She had changed into a lighter outfit, a black kimono with gold floral embroidery that emanated a fearless aura.

Chizuru performed several high-level sword dance moves midair before gracefully falling, as though struck.

Her kimono fluttered as she fell in the center of the stage, and suddenly the lights dimmed until only a single beam shone upon her fallen figure.

Just by making her entrance, she had already broken new ground.

Then, with a striking move, she leapt up, dancing with the resilience and vigor of a warrior while maintaining the Oiran’s enchanting charm.

As she spun and danced, she again seemed to be struck, freezing mid-movement while gliding to the edge of the stage.

This move was incredibly difficult, requiring great control of the body, something beyond the ability of an ordinary person.

"Miss Chizuru seems to have entered the Tiger Level," someone said.

"Yes, Tiger Level. Her movements are strong and vigorous, and her bodily control far surpasses her past Wolf-level performances."

"To think Miss Chizuru has also been working hard to become stronger—I have even more reason to give it my all."

The people below could see that the Oiran Chizuru had reached the Tiger Level.

A charming and dynamic young tiger was dancing her heart out to please them—what a delightful event.

As her war dance progressed, Chizuru’s clothes became more disheveled, her fragrant shoulders half exposed, and with each glance or turn of her head, she struck the audience to their core, eliciting howls from below.

Gradually, everyone noticed there was another person on stage.

It was a man in armor, standing in a corner, also illuminated by a spotlight, passionately plucking the strings, his body engaged in simple dance moves.

The music shifted repeatedly, continuously accompanying Chizuru’s dance.

Whenever the music reached a turning point, Chizuru’s performance mirrored it with a narrative twist in her dance.

The crowd slow realized that this man and woman were both enacting the story of Fujihara Tomohiro.

A dance, displaying battle movements, and an accompaniment, expressing psychological activity.

At last, the piece "Dragon Slice" concluded.

’Fujihara Tomohiro’ triumphed over Dragon-level, with Oiran Chizuru’s hair disheveled and clothes in disarray, maintaining a dashing slash pose, which drew thunderous applause from the audience.

"Oiran Chizuru! I choose you again this year!"

As the performance ended, Oiran Chizuru bowed to the audience, "A new generation replaces the old, Chizuru may not be the Oiran this year."

She briefly interacted with the crowd before seamlessly introducing the man by her side.

That was Luo Yan, the newcomer the Yukakuza was keen to promote. Seeing him on stage with Chizuru suggested that the Yukakuza intended to bypass the election and elevate him directly to Oiran status.

After all, he was a male courtesan, which put him in a different league from the women.

If it had been before, the crowd would have been filled with discontented voices. After all, the audience was primarily men, who wanted a male courtesan? It wasn’t Luo Yi...

However, Yamaguchi Yoshio had already said so himself, that they were launching a male courtesan today, and had even invited Sea King’s daughter, Sivina.

Therefore, everyone knew that this was for Sivina on the second floor.

At this moment, there was no sound of dissatisfaction below, on the contrary, there was cheers for the male courtesan, praising his string performance as truly skillful, which was quite realistic.

The person on stage was naturally Gao Xin.

He had switched places with Luo Yan, and now his body was Luo Yan’s, further disguised with Gao Xin’s masterclass chromatophores, convincingly enough to fool anyone.

Watching the applause below, Gao Xin looked towards the second floor.

The glass there was one-way, but Gao Xin still knew that a robust giantess stood behind the glass window, laughing and looking at him with satisfaction.

Luo Yan’s appearance was indeed handsome and the armor he wore today added a heroic air to his elegant look.

Especially since it was Gao Xin who was performing, there was an undeniable aura of ’who else but me’, exuding confidence and the presence of a strong individual, perfectly embodying what the attire was meant to convey.

"Haha, I thought he would be a frail fellow, but he turned out to be full of sharpness."

"If only he were stronger, I love to conquer the powerful!"

A booming voice came from the second floor, majestic and powerful, but one could tell it was a woman’s.

At this moment, the host took the opportunity to take the stage, "Miss Sivina, Luo Yan may only be True Wolf strength right now, but his potential is astounding, being an SSR!"

"After some training, who’s to say he couldn’t become a Dragon?"

The host was Tiger Level, positioning himself close to Gao Xin, seemingly with the intent to restrain him.

Seeing the host step up, Chizuru took the hint to withdraw under the pretext of fixing her makeup, smiling as she left the stage to today’s real highlight—’SSR Luo Yan’.

As they parted, Gao Xin and Chizuru exchanged glances, and she understood.

Next, it would be her chance to lead the real Luo Yan away.

As for Gao Xin, he would have to fend for himself.

"Ha, if you hadn’t said that the male courtesan was an SSR, I wouldn’t have come."

"If he’s an SSR, then it’s easy. I have all the time to train him into a Dragon-level!"

"I’ll take this man, I want to bring him to Sea King Port."

Sivina’s voice was filled with cruelty, sending shivers down one’s spine.

Even an SSR would have to go through life and death experiences, face despair, and unleash a strong will to survive to evolve all the way.

Without a doubt, Sivina taking away an SSR also meant taking away a potential force, and it was unlikely she would just raise him as a protected delicacy, such a waste.

The host smiled, "Miss Sivina, please be patient."

"Luo Yan is our newly launched male courtesan, the world’s first SSR Oiran. Our Chairman Yamaguchi is also very fond of him, reluctant to let go," he said.

Sivina spoke loud and clear, "Cut the crap, Yamaguchi Yoshio, name your price!"

Yamaguchi Yoshio’s voice came from the second floor, "Even though he isn’t a priceless gem like Chizuru, to redeem him, he should be auctioned like anyone else."

"Miss Sivina, I, Yamaguchi Yoshio, am willing to make a sacrifice. Today, I won’t compete in bidding, to accommodate the miss."

Sivina scoffed, "Do you have such good intentions?"

Yamaguchi Yoshio remained silent.

The host looked to the crowd, where they had naturally arranged for shills.

If Sivina’s bid was too low, they would have people in the crowd jack up the price.

Yamaguchi Yoshio choosing not to turn Luo Yan into a woman and keep him to continuously produce little SSRs, but rather to sell him to Sivina, obviously demanded a high price.

Suddenly, someone in the crowd started to heckle, "Who dares to compete with Miss Sivina? I think the Yukakuza should just give her the male courtesan as a gift to Sea King Port."

"Hahaha! Right, we won’t bid."

"I’m not a man, why would I want a male courtesan?"

From the second floor, Sivina said, "Hahaha, then one million it is."

One million was the minimum price for an SSR.

This was also the price the navy would demand when gifting someone. Ten thousand for an SR, one million for an SSR.

Newcomers to the island could be of any type, and occasionally there would be SSRs.

Usually, they were evenly distributed to major coastal forces, such as Sea King Port, Milan, and Eden Garden.

But before gifting them, one had to pay the navy, or else they wouldn’t send them, preferring to deliver to other forces even if it meant a slight detour.

So, one million for an SSR was the base price.

The host immediately tensed up; he couldn’t let this momentum build, otherwise the shills wouldn’t be able to bid up aggressively.

There had to be a reason for the shills to bid, otherwise Sivina would explode, and without a doubt, the only reason was that Luo Yan was an SSR.

He promptly said, "Even if you don’t fancy men, you could take him back and turn him into a woman..."

"This is an SSR after all, a cornerstone for any gang’s dynasty!"

He was already hinting for the shills to raise the stakes.

Gao Xin realized his opportunity had arrived.

He told Gao Shu that the key to a smart escape lay in the phase after his performance with Chizuru, right at this moment.

Suddenly, hearing the talk of being turned into a woman seemed to trigger something in him. His expression turned to panic and loathing, and he began to run on the stage.

As he ran, he clenched his teeth, "No, I don’t want to become a woman!"

"I’m not an SSR, I refuse to be transformed!"

...

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