Chapter 43: Emergency

After seeing clearly that it was Chen Yan in the box, Lin Yao subconsciously stood up and took a step towards the glass window.

Mo Yun reacted quickly and wrapped his arms around his slender waist, moving his head from his back to rest on his left shoulder.

Lin Yao's palm was against the cold glass, and his breath hit the glass. The high-quality special one-way glass did not have any white fog. Lin Yao's sight penetrated the thin glass and went straight to the second floor.

Chen Yan was still talking to the person next to him, and the lines of his profile appeared softer in the halo of the ceiling light.

As the mechanical sound rang out again and again, Chen Yan's leisurely appearance made Lin Yao clearly realize that this was a young master who was pampered by his family.

The bidding price soared like crazy, and soon reached 48 million star coins.

When the bidders on the second floor bid, the bidders on the first floor could follow at first, but as the amount of star coins added became more and more outrageous, the bidding from the floor below gradually died down, with only a few people still holding on.

"Forty-nine million." A man wearing glasses in the front row pushed up his glasses frame, his voice fluttering, as if he was betting all his life savings on it.

As soon as he finished speaking, a blue light lit up in a room to the left of Chen Yan's box. This was also Chen Yan's main competitor in bidding for the mecha design drawing.

Without even a half-second pause, the mechanical voice sounded calmly: "Fifty-five million."

"Hiss--" The sound of people gasping for air downstairs became continuous.

Lin Yao could see through the glass that the man with glasses turned pale in an instant, and his hand holding the bidding card trembled, and finally dropped it weakly.

The six million markup was as casual as throwing a stone.

Lin Yao narrowed his eyes and looked towards Chen Yan's box.

Chen Yan was tilting his head to listen to the person beside him reporting something in a low voice, his fingertips casually rolling up his sleeves.

Then the hand was raised slightly, as if to brush away some dust. The person next to him immediately understood and pressed a new number on the bidding machine.

"Sixty million."

It was still that flat mechanical sound, but it sounded like thunder in the auction house.

The two people who had just tried to bargain exchanged glances and silently lowered their hands. The host, Liu Ming, spoke in a steady yet excited voice: "Sixty million! Box seven on the second floor is bidding a whopping five million! Anyone else offering a higher price?"

Chen Yan was already holding a cup of some unknown tea, sipping it slowly. His face looked particularly relaxed under the light.

"Seven thousand."

Suddenly, a hoarse voice erupted from the corner of the first floor.

He was an old man with gray hair, holding a shiny old pocket watch in his hand, his knuckles blue from the force.

There was actually someone on the first floor offering this price. Ye Heng looked around the hall curiously and told Lin Yao that the man was a mecha designer when he was young.

The whole audience was silent.

"Seventy million is already more than double the estimated value of this design." Ye Heng flipped through the auction brochure again. "But if you like it, triple or quadruple is also acceptable."

Lin Yao is now very sure that Chen Yan, this stinky cat, is taking the opportunity to get rid of him and come to this auction just to be able to participate in the bidding.

Because of this, Lin Yao felt an indescribable discomfort in his heart, both towards Shen Yan and himself.

But Ye Heng's words made him suddenly enlightened.

Lin Yao slowly relaxed his frown, and his hands moved away from the glass window. The awkward feeling in his heart gradually dissipated.

He watched Chen Yan turn his head to look at the auction table. The outline of his face was shining coldly under the reflection of the ceiling light, but his eyes were filled with an inexplicable burning persistence.

Yes, for something that we truly love, who doesn’t have the courage to go all out?

When the two of them came, the things he said were indeed too much for friends he had only known for a few days.

Sure enough, Chen Yan's box made another move, and the mechanical voice carried an unquestionable weight: "Ninety million."

As soon as this price was announced, even Box No. 9, who had been bidding against Chen Yan, lost the courage to compete.

"Did you go to the Science and Technology Museum to try out the mecha today?" Ye Heng asked.

Lin Yao just sat back on the sofa and took Mo Yun's body off his waist. The little thing was a bit tight.

"I tried it, it's not bad." Lin Yao comforted Mo Yun while expressing his true feelings, "It's quite passionate."

"You like it?"

"Not really." Lin Yao shook his head. The mecha was good, but after that period, he seemed not to be so excited or fond of it anymore.

Maybe it’s because I don’t have one, so I can’t always recall this kind of passion.

Ye Heng nodded.

Seeing that he stopped talking, Lin Yao's hands were busy and his eyes were busy in the auction hall.

Liu Ming raised the gavel in his hand, and said with finality: "Ninety million for the second time!"

In Chen Yan's box, through the gap in the curtains, one could see that his fingers resting on the armrest of the sofa had relaxed, his fingertips lightly rubbing across the lines on it, that was the relaxation that came when he was determined to win.

Lin Yao's unhappiness at being dumped had long since faded. Some friends just need to be treated appropriately.

As long as Chen Yan can take pictures of what he wants, he is happy.

Anyway, even his family can't control him, so it would be strange if Lin Yao could control him. If he can't hold the sand, then just throw it away.

The fact that they threw him into the trading floor was because they thought he wouldn't be in danger, or because they knew something in advance, so they did that?

Before the third recitation was finished and the gavel fell, something strange happened.

"Buzz—"

On the left side of the second floor, a private room that had been dark all the time suddenly lit up with blue light.

The light was so bright that it made people's eyes jump. Then, a colder and harder mechanical voice exploded in the auction hall: "One hundred million."

The whole audience fell into silence.

Even the wooden hammer that Liu Ming raised froze in mid-air, the grain on the wooden handle gleaming white under the overhead light.

Someone downstairs stood up suddenly, and the harsh sound of chair legs scraping across the ground could not drown out the shock caused by the shout of "one hundred million".

Lin Yao's curiosity was also piqued, and he subconsciously looked towards the source of the sound.

He had never paid attention to that box, but it seemed to have been dark since the show started. The curtains were drawn tightly, not even a trace of light leaked in. It seemed as if it was empty.

Who could have thought that he would suddenly appear at the last moment and directly raise the price by 10 million?

Then Lin Yao suddenly looked towards Chen Yan's box.

Through the gap in the curtains, Chen Yan's originally relaxed posture changed.

He straightened his back slightly, the lines of his profile were no longer soft, and his jawline was very tight.

The action of slowly sipping tea just now stopped, and he retracted his fingers, with his fingertips pressed against his eyebrows, as if he was suppressing some emotion.

"One hundred and ten million!" It was obvious that Chen Yan still did not give up and decided to add more.

The blue light in the left box lit up almost immediately: "One hundred and twenty million."

The price increase this time is still the same, and it seems like a provocation.

"One hundred and thirty million!"

"One hundred and forty million."

…

Two mechanical sounds were faintly heard in the venue, raising the price to 200 million.

Lin Yao saw that the people around Chen Yan looked nervous, so he leaned over and whispered something, probably reminding them about the budget.

Chen Yan frowned, raised his hand to interrupt him, and pressed the bidding button himself: "Two hundred and ten million!"

His fingertip remained on the button for half a second longer than usual.

"Two hundred and twenty million." The box on the left was still slow, as if playing a cat-and-mouse game.

The air in the auction hall seemed to freeze.

The people downstairs forgot to breathe, their eyes fixed on the two blue-lit boxes on the second floor. Even the sound of swallowing could be heard.

Lin Yao looked at Chen Yan's tightly pursed lips, which seemed like he was just trying to hold on.

"Two hundred and thirty million!" After struggling, Chen Yan chose to make one last attempt, with a bit of desperate determination.

His shoulders tensed slightly, and even his casually draped coat slipped down a little, revealing the collar of his white shirt underneath.

There was silence in the left box for a few seconds.

Just when Lin Yao thought the other party was going to continue raising the price, the blue light in the box suddenly dimmed.

The whole audience was silent at first, and then burst into a tide of discussion.

Liu Ming was stunned for three full seconds before he reacted and banged the gavel:

"Two hundred and thirty million for the first time! Two hundred and thirty million for the second time! Two hundred and thirty million for the third time! Deal! Congratulations, Box No. 7 on the second floor!"

The moment the gavel fell, Lin Yao saw Chen Yan suddenly seemed to be relieved, leaning back in his chair and raising his hand to press his brows.

Through the gap in the curtains, Chen Yan had no joy of winning at all, but was instead exhausted. His eyes fell on Box No. 1, which he had been arguing with, and his eyes were full of inquiry and hostility.

After the dust settled, Lin Yao's tense shoulders relaxed, and his fingertips unconsciously rubbed the sweat on his palms. It must be said that the auction was indeed very attractive.

Even if it's none of your business, your heart will fluctuate with the bidding numbers, which is really exciting.

He breathed a sigh of relief, and the last bit of unhappiness in his heart completely disappeared, as if someone had helped him vent his anger.

Chen Yan could afford the 90 million just now, but the current 230 million has probably reduced his funding pool, and he may not be able to afford the subsequent auction items.

But that's what auctions are.

You can never predict your opponent's bottom line, you can never guess who will suddenly attack at the last second, and you can never figure out how many calculations and trade-offs are involved in the thoughts hidden in the dark.

-

This episode is like a wave that accidentally surges in the waves.

Even though the sound caused by the hammer falling just now was still echoing under the dome, it was now quietly covered by new expectations and excitement with the appearance of the next item.

Lin Yao picked up the teacup. Ye Heng had just added some tea for him in time. At this moment, the warm porcelain wall showed that the tea was just right.

Liu Ming's voice sounded again, with just the right amount of incitement in his tone. One by one, the auction items were displayed, bid on, and finally the final price was paid.

Lin Yao's gaze swept across the box where Chen Yan was. The thick velvet curtains did not move at all, not even a tiny gap was visible, like some kind of silent declaration.

As expected, he didn't raise the sign again.

The energy core with a faint blue glow, the top sentinel's mental synchronization data, etc., these were the auction items that Chen Yan had told him about on the airship and that he was looking forward to.

Box No. 7 seemed to have lost its energy. It was lonely and silent, just as strangely as they had said when they came before, as if they were just here to take a look.

Halfway through the auction, Liu Ming's voice slowed down deliberately:

"The next item might not be the energy carrier you're most looking forward to, but in terms of viewing pleasure—"

He raised his hand to signal, and a beautiful holographic image instantly appeared on the display screen behind him.

A low gasp was heard in the venue instantly.

Pink Heart is the name given to it by Jiuchen Auction House.

Lin Yao looked at the parameters of the raw stone mine on the auction brochure, which were similar to those of pink diamonds on Earth.

The fist-sized mineral lies quietly on the crystal base. It is extremely translucent pink all over, but not a single color.

The outermost layer is a light pink, like peach petals covered with dew on a spring morning, and gradually turns into soft pink and peach pink towards the inside.

At the very core, there is a touch of deep pink that is almost coral, which spreads out layer by layer, as if the pink of the entire spring garden is crushed and sealed inside.

On the display screen, when the light hits it, there is no sharp refraction common to energy minerals. Instead, a layer of warm and soft light spreads out, like the setting sun falling into a stream filled with flower petals, and even the light becomes soft.

Compared with the previous cores with explosive energy, the energy fluctuations of this pink heart are as light as a breeze.

No one would buy it to put it in a drive unit, unless it's for decoration.

The crowd has started talking about it. Some people say that this thing has almost no practical value except for its appearance.

But some people don’t think that it is worthless because it has lost its energy, because no one can deny that it looks good.

And this beauty is its unique value.

"It's really beautiful." Lin Yao flicked the holographic image of the pink heart on the floating screen and whispered unconsciously.

Light flows across its surface bit by bit, and I don’t know how the pink color spreads from the center to the edge, like a sunset that will never end.

Then, as if he had thought of something, he chuckled and asked, "Do you know Ye Lang?"

Lin Yao's voice was soft but it fell accurately into the ears of Ye Heng beside him.

Ye Heng was looking at the encrypted information on the computer. Upon hearing this, he looked up at him and nodded: "I know him, he's my cousin."

Lin Yao's fingertips were still on the floating screen, and he nodded in understanding.

"Oh?" Ye Heng tapped his fingertips lightly on the computer. "How did you know him?"

"I met him on the eighth floor." Lin Yao said it lightly, as if it was just an ordinary encounter.

"At the time, I thought he was very well-educated. After learning his name, I thought of you. 'Ye' is not a common name, and the names are quite similar, so I guess you two are related."

Upon hearing this, Ye Heng's lips curled up with a helpless yet understanding smile: "Although that boy is a bit flamboyant, he is indeed a good person."

He seemed to know how Lin Yao and Ye Lang met and got to know each other, and he didn't seem to care about prying into other people's privacy. He just said briefly that Ye Lang was not bad.

Then he changed the subject slightly and his gaze fell back on the holographic image at Lin Yao's fingertips.

The powder was still flowing slowly. Although Lin Yao's gaze had moved away, his fingertips unconsciously drew a shallow arc on the screen, as if tracing the outline of the ore.

Ye Heng did not miss the undisguised amazement in Lin Yao's eyes when he looked at the pink heart just now. It was not the calculation of a businessman looking at his collection, but rather the genuine love that a scholar could not hide when he saw a good word.

"This ore is truly special." Ye Heng's voice slowed down. "The energy is negligible, but with this color, you'd be hard-pressed to find another one in the entire galaxy."

Lin Yao: "It's rare to hear you say it's special."

Ye Heng smiled, picked up the cup and took a sip of tea: "Do you think I can only find fault with everything? I'm not a sarcastic or stingy person!"

Lin Yao was choked for a moment. He didn't expect that the boomerang he had thrown out on the training ground would be called back by its owner.

"We agreed that it was just something I said in anger, and you shouldn't take it to heart." Lin Yao's voice softened, unconsciously carrying a hint of flattery and pleading.

Ye Heng hummed in a good mood and immersed himself in checking the computer again, but his eyes once again swept over the unique and gorgeous stone.

The stone was eventually bought in Box No. 1 on the second floor for 300 million star coins. During the auction, Lin Yao indeed saw Ye Lang bidding.

He just said that he was a person who liked pink. Although he didn't know which one of Ye Lang and Su Qing liked it, it didn't prevent Lin Yao from generally thinking that they both liked it.

Those who love pink so much will not miss this pink heart.

-

Time slipped forward for more than an hour, and the hands of the almanac clock on the wall of the box slid steadily towards half past ten.

As the hammer fell on the last item marked as valuable, the tense feeling in the venue that had lasted all night did not dissipate.

Instead, it felt like being gripped tighter by an invisible hand, settling into a subtle atmosphere mixed with expectation and restlessness.

There was a commotion in the venue, and then it quickly died down. Everyone was waiting for the so-called special item.

The lights on the auction table changed again, and the spotlight fell on the host Liu Minggang.

He cleared his throat, and his voice echoed through the loudspeaker in the silent room, trembling with excitement:

"Next, we will move on to the final stage of this auction—the special lot. At the same time, I am honored to announce that the collectors of the five first-class boxes on the third floor have officially been connected to the bidding system."

As soon as he finished speaking, the energy slots above the boxes on the third floor lit up one by one, and five golden logos appeared, representing the five top-level boxes.

A suppressed gasp was heard in the room. Even though he knew that the sight lines from all directions could not penetrate the one-way glass, Lin Yao subconsciously moved his position and moved closer to the left side of the sofa.

Even Ye Heng put down everything he was doing and sat up straight.

The addition of these five boxes means that the auction has entered a carnival moment, going beyond money and becoming more like a silent wrestling match.

Liu Minggang raised his hand to signal, and the holographic projection device in the center of the auction table started humming. A light blue beam shot up into the sky and condensed into a huge skeleton shadow in the air.

The cold and hard lines of the metal outline a ferocious and majestic outline in the light and shadow. There are still traces of burns on the broken joints, but one can still glimpse the majesty of the past.

"Special auction item—" Liu Ming's voice suddenly rose, with an almost high tone, "Mecha skeleton wreckage!"

The six words "Mecha Skeleton Remains" were like a huge rock thrown into a deep pool. However, before it could create waves and reach the peak, something strange happened.

“Boom!”

A deafening bang exploded from the back of the auction hall's display screen, as if a meteorite had hit the steel dome.

The huge shock wave shook the entire auction hall, and smoke and dust overflowed from the gaps in the auction table.

Almost at the same time, the heavy alloy door in front exploded with a sharp tearing sound, and flames and thick smoke gushed in, instantly engulfing the reception desk at the entrance.

Those few seconds of dead silence seemed longer than any other time.

Before the enthusiasm on people's faces could fade away, they were nailed to the spot by the sudden scene of destruction, their pupils dilated with shock.

Until the first person reacted and let out a shrill scream, it was like pushing down dominoes.

Deafening cries, screams, and the crash of tables and chairs suddenly erupted, crushing the sacredness and tension of the special auction items appearing on the stage.

Countless armed pirates emerged from the smoke, surrounding the entire hall and the entrances to the upper floors.

Then a figure wearing a black mecha exoskeleton and a mask covering most of his face walked in on the broken glass, the particle gun in his hand emitting a cold blue light, pointing directly into the field.

The leading man was wearing a helmet, so his face couldn't be seen clearly, but the cruelty in his eyes was fully displayed: "Shut up, everyone!"

The particle gun fired a shot into the air, and the energy beam hit the dome directly, leaving a charred mark, and the scream was suddenly cut off.

"Stop talking nonsense," he said, looking around at the horrified crowd, his gaze finally fixed on the holographic image on the auction table, "We're here today just for that broken skeleton!"

"My brothers are taking action now," the leading pirate swung his particle gun fiercely, his voice under the helmet full of fierceness.

"Everyone, cooperate obediently. Anyone who dares to move—" He raised his gun and swept across the terrified faces in the room, "will be shot directly!"

Before he finished speaking, another explosion was heard from backstage.

Several loud explosions erupted, sending rubble and dust soaring into the air. The front seats were blown away by the gusts of air. Screams ripped through the air again, only to be muffled by the crisp sound of the pirates' rifle butts hitting the metal railings.

"Get the fuck down! Try to move!"

-

The sudden change caught Ye Heng off guard and he stood up suddenly.

He was instantly filled with a fierce aura, his shoulders tensed like a fully drawn bow, and his fingertips tapped the light brain twice quickly: "Yan Rufeng, hold here."

Then he turned to the other two people: "Xu Li, Zhao Kun, follow me."

After giving the order, Ye Heng held Lin Yao's shoulders.

The warmth of his palm passed through the fabric, his strength was steady, and his eyes were full of worry. "The security system on the third floor is very advanced. Stay still and don't run around."

His eyes swept across the rising smoke outside the window, and his tone was as heavy as if weighed down by lead, "Wait for me to come back."

Finally, he called out "Mo Yun", and the originally lazy little guy instantly got into the state and quickly entered Ye Heng's wrist.

The moment the door closed, Lin Yao heard the sound of a weapon being loaded outside.

Five minutes later, Ye Heng, Ye Mang and the other two appeared in the smoke and dust of the hall.

He was not wearing a military uniform, but his back was straight, and when his eyes swept across the shivering crowd, he exuded a terrifying aura.

The communicator was still flashing, and it was the legion's response: Marshal, support will arrive in as little as forty minutes.

Forty minutes is too long.

Ye Heng's fingertips rubbed his waist, where his energy gun was.

But when his eyes swept over the old man curled up in the corner and the trembling woman, his fingertips clenched again.

There are at least three hundred people here. Once strong firepower or large-scale mental attacks are used, innocent people will become victims before the pirates fall.

"Marshal Ye, stop dawdling." The leading pirate happened to be dragging a crying staff member over, his boot soles rolling over the broken glass.

"If you know what's good for you, get out of the way. Otherwise, this broken skeleton's trait chamber will explode and we'll all be finished."

Just as he finished speaking, heavy footsteps were heard from the backstage.

Six pirates came out carrying a silver-gray rectangular box. The surface of the box was covered with dark patterns and the four corners were flashing red light.

That was Jiuchen's specially made protective chamber. A warning sign was posted on the side of the chamber. The words "Destruction protection activated" were so sharp that it hurt people's eyes.

"Did you see that?" The pirate patted the protective cabin. "You should recognize it."

"There's a destructive device outside this warehouse. It'll explode if it hits the ground. The destructive material inside is really good stuff. It's colorless and odorless. It'll shut everyone in this hall up in three minutes."

His smile became more sinister. "If Marshal Ye wants to overthrow us with his mental power, why not count how many bodies there are on the ground first?"

Ye Heng's mental power had already been condensed, and was only one step away from turning into a sharp blade. However, when his eyes met the red light of the protective warehouse, the power abruptly stopped.

He could feel the fighting spirit surging in his veins, but he could only suppress it.

He is here to protect people, not to kill.

"Ye Heng!" A cold, hard male voice suddenly rang out from Box No. 1 on the third floor, echoing through the loudspeaker throughout the hall. "Use your mental power to strangle the space pirates!"

The voice carried an unquestionable commanding tone, lashing out like an ice-hardened whip.

Ye Heng suddenly raised his eyes and looked towards the third floor. His eyes were as cold as the raging wind in the north, but he did not respond a single word.

How dare this man give such an order? In his eyes, what are these lives worth?

Lin Yao kept an eye on the hall, his heart rising and falling with Ye Heng's movements.

Ye Heng stood in the middle of the hall and confronted the pirates, his back straight like a gun that would never bend.

But Lin Yao could see clearly that his hands were trembling slightly, not because of fear, but because he was holding back a fierce strength, but he was nailed to the spot by the red light on the protective cabin.

The fluctuations of mental power surged in the air like an undercurrent, and Lin Yao could even feel the sharp edge that was almost condensed into substance.

But just when it touched the protective cabin at the feet of the space pirate, it was forcibly retracted, shaking the surrounding smoke and dust.

Lin Yao's throat tightened. The whole place was filled with people huddled on the ground. They had nothing to do with this dispute. It was an unprovoked disaster that came out of nowhere.

When the sound from box number one on the third floor exploded, Lin Yao frowned suddenly.

The voice was condescending and indifferent, as if the lives of the people in the hall were not worth mentioning.

"Strangle with mental force?" Lin Yao snorted softly, a trace of anger flashing in his eyes, "It's easy to talk without any pain in your waist."

He turned and looked at Yan Rufeng behind him.

Although he was a military doctor, because of the word "military" in his name, he stood straight, with his profile tense, and always paid attention to the changes around him.

"Military Doctor Yan," Lin Yao asked in a low voice, restrained, "Who is that?"

Yan Rufeng's Adam's apple rolled, his eyes flickered as he glanced in the direction of Box No. 1, then quickly lowered his head.

His voice was so low as if he was afraid of being heard: "I don't know."

"I don't know?" Lin Yao raised his eyebrows. It didn't look like he didn't know, but rather that he couldn't say it.

There should be very few people in the empire who can talk to Ye Heng in a commanding tone. Lin Yao did not ask any more questions, but just looked downstairs again.

Ye Heng didn't move.

He withdrew his gaze, hiding his helplessness, forbearance and persistence.

Then he simply lowered his eyes, letting the order from the third floor explode in the air like a blank cannon, without even raising his eyelids.

Seeing that he didn't move, the leading pirate sneered, "You're quite sensible."

He made a gesture, and the pirates carrying the boxes immediately followed, and the group slowly retreated towards the blown-up gate.

Ye Heng's fists were clenched white and his knuckles were blue, but he could only watch them disappear in the smoke.

The red light from the protective chamber burned into his eyes like a red-hot iron.

Lin Yao breathed a sigh of relief, but felt inexplicably nervous.

At this moment, he saw Ye Heng suddenly look up, his eyes as sharp as a hawk, looking straight towards the backstage.

Almost at the same time, an indescribable fishy smell drifted into the box through the vents, carrying with it some disgusting smell of mucus.

Ye Heng downstairs suddenly pulled out his energy gun, and his suppressed mental power suddenly surged, but this time he was not directed in the direction where the pirates left.

Lin Yao's heart sank suddenly.

He knew that the sense of crisis that he had just suppressed not only did not dissipate, but was about to crawl out from the shadows backstage in an even more ferocious guise.

-

There were soft sobs in the crowd. Everyone thought the crisis was over and was about to breathe a sigh of relief when a teeth-grinding "click" sound suddenly came from backstage.

The sound was not like metal rubbing against each other, but more like some kind of shell rolling over the ground.

"What, what is that..." Someone pointed tremblingly at the big hole left by the explosion on the display screen.

In the darkness, several pairs of dark green compound eyes lit up.

Next came the limbs covered with black-brown shells, and the mucus-covered mouthparts opened and closed, making a hissing sound.

The Zerg are coming!

They rushed into the field in an instant like evil spirits crawling out of hell.

The Zerg in the front suddenly raised its forelimbs, and its shell as sharp as a knife instantly cut open Liu Ming's chest, and blood splattered on the broken seat.

Screams, cries, and the hissing of the Zerg mixed together, and chaos even more terrifying than when the pirates broke in just now broke out.