Task 4
Shi Youchen got the key and walked into the store. Xiaowei felt a chill on her back. She glanced at the poodle lying limp on the ground outside the door and followed him inside with a puzzled look.
There was nothing inside the store, and six snow-white walls enclosed a symmetrical space.
Xiaowei followed Shi Youchen's instruction and stood in one of the corners, facing the center of the room.
Shi Youchen walked to the center of the hexagon and said to Xiaowei, who was cowering in the corner, "Hold on to the wall. Don't panic. You'll be fine."
Then he raised his hand, and the key in his palm rose in front of the two of them, stopped in mid-air, and with a "click", an inexplicable sound similar to that of a door opening was made.
Just when Xiaowei was attracted by the sound that appeared out of nowhere, she felt the wall behind her shaking, followed by a severe dizziness.
In the blurry vision, Xiaowei saw Shi Youchen's straight figure, standing in the center without moving.
A white light emanated from the entire room, even extending outwards to envelop the corpse of the curly-haired dog at the door. After the white light faded, a huge lock appeared out of thin air outside the door of this unassuming little shop in the corner of the mall, and the lights inside dimmed.
The Maine Coon cat squatting at the door of the shop opposite opened its eyes, saw clearly, and turned its head away lazily.
...
Xiao Wei finally recovered after vomiting into the nearby trash can. She sniffed, holding back her tears, and asked Shi Youchen, "Where exactly is this place?"
It was obvious that they were no longer in the empty store, but were standing at the entrance of a dark passage. Trash cans were placed on both sides of the entrance, as if they had anticipated the physiological reactions of those who came here.
Xiaowei was one of those who was "expected".
Shi Youchen's expression remained calm. He extended a packet of tissues and said, "The entrance to the auction house. Those things outside just now were just connecting spaces, which can also be considered a barrier, or a kind of 'domain'."
Xiao Wei: "Is that the real venue for the 'Nigra Auction' in front?"
Shi Youchen nodded: "After you go in, don't leave my sight, don't talk to other people, and most importantly, don't express any emotions."
Xiaowei didn't understand what "expression of emotions" meant.
Shi Youchen reached out and took down two animal-face masks from the wall, handing one to Xiaowei: "Don't cry, and don't show anger."
Xiaowei looked at the hideous and twisted mask, took it, and nodded silently.
The two figures disappeared into the dark passage.
...
The sound of their footsteps echoed in the passage.
This "door" was too long, so long that Xiaowei felt her limbs were cold and her head had never been so stiff.
When she shivered unconsciously, a little light leaking from behind Shi Youchen reminded her - they had arrived.
The true face of the auction venue finally emerged.
She looked at the long staircase that stretched endlessly downwards in front of her, the half cage embedded in the concave part of the circle at the bottom, and the human faces that occasionally protruded from the surrounding walls, as if trying to break free from the walls.
Xiaowei suddenly felt the urge to vomit again.
Shi Youchen raised his hand and stroked her back: "Look ahead, don't look at your feet."
Xiaowei's throat was uncomfortably tight from fear and discomfort. As she listened to Shi Youchen's words, she focused her gaze on the circular screen in front of her, successfully suppressing much of the nausea.
The two of them quietly sat down at a position slightly outside the circular venue, and Shi Youchen glanced around indifferently.
The auction seemed to have no specific start time. Xiaowei only saw a few people taking their seats, and some people left their seats and went to places beyond her sight.
She didn't dare turn around or look around.
Because apart from the screen directly in front, the horrifying scenes on the walls next to it never stopped.
She was afraid to look into the eyes of the "person" above.
Just when Xiaowei was feeling uneasy and didn't dare to ask Shi Youchen, she just lowered her head and stared at the vermilion carpet under her feet.
"Cough" A light cough came from all directions, but I couldn't find the source just by listening to the sound.
Xiaowei raised her head cautiously, and saw a person appear in the half of the cage that was not covered at the bottom and in the center.
Perhaps the previous fear had dulled her perception. It was not until she saw the animal-head mask on the man's face that Xiaowei realized as if she had just woken up from a dream - everyone in the venue, including herself and Shi Youchen, was wearing a mask.
The mask on the man below was very large, extending upward and backward, covering his entire head, leaving not even a single hair exposed.
"Please pay attention, everyone present. This auction is about to begin. The first lot is on its way. Those near the entrances please pay attention to their own safety."
It seems that he should be the host of the auction.
Xiaowei glanced at the side secretly and was shocked to discover something.
As the auctioneer spoke, the faces on the surrounding walls became unusually active. They scrambled to protrude from the wall, their mouths wide open, as if calling out or screaming.
The auctioneer's voice came from all directions, surrounding the center of the venue, through the mouths of these faces.
So what are they...
Living creatures?
Xiaowei's face, which had finally relaxed, turned pale again in an instant. She clutched her trouser legs tightly and comforted herself not to be afraid.
Shi Youchen's eyes pierced straight at the auctioneer through the double holes on the mask.
The man below seemed to have sensed the cold gaze, and calmly looked up in the direction of Shi Youchen.
Just now, Shi Youchen and Xiaowei entered through only one of the entrances of the venue. If Xiaowei could overcome her fear and look around carefully, she would find that there were thirteen "doors" on the edge of this circular venue. Each entrance had a long staircase leading down, and these long steps eventually converged at the center of the circle, forming a cage in a recessed seat.
The auctioneer seemed to sense something and looked away.
There was a noise coming from near the various entrances, and it was obvious that the noise was pouring into the auction hall from far away.
Everyone smelled the strong, fresh smell of blood.
The magical thing is that when the newcomer appeared at the highest point of the long steps, the smell of blood actually faded.
Xiaowei didn't look back, but Shi Youchen and most of the other people in the seat did.
"The first lot has arrived. Please identify it yourself. If you wish to participate, please enter your desired price at the data terminal in your corresponding seat."
The auctioneer paced around the cage, his tone casual, "As usual, anything other than money can be used as a bargaining chip in the auction."
"Then, the first lot—eight transformed experimental subjects. Please place your bids."
Xiao Wei came back to her senses when she heard the words "transformed experimental subject". After a few seconds of silence, she mechanically turned her head and looked towards the nearest entrance.
I have been in the Mirage Abyss for so many years, and even though I have not experienced those things in person, I have heard them all by heart.
And at this moment, in this place beyond the Mirage Abyss, even in her hometown, this term appeared again. Xiaowei's first reaction was - how could it be?
Wasn't District 5 the first area taken over by the Association? Shouldn't it have already become a strictly orderly place?
Who has such great ability to create such a black area here under the full supervision of the association?
Xiaowei thought so in disbelief, turning her head very stiffly, and finally her already slow movements were completely frozen.
After seeing the figure appear at the entrance and at the top of the long steps.
Xiaoyue's face hasn't changed much. She is still as beautiful as a young girl in her early twenties, and even has a bit of charm that she didn't have before.
After not seeing each other for many years, I saw my sister again, but I didn’t expect it to be in a place like this.
Tears welled up in Xiaowei's eyes instantly, but fortunately they were blocked tightly by the mask, so no one else could see anything.
She instinctively wanted to get up, but Shi Youchen reached out and grabbed her halfway.
"Remember what I reminded you to do, don't show it." Shi Youchen's voice was calm without a trace of emotion.
Xiaowei didn't react at once, and she paused for a moment before she stood up successfully.
She stood completely upright so her view was not obstructed by the back seat.
So she saw her sister's whole appearance.
Xiaoyue's upper body was completely naked, her snow-white skin gleaming under the lights in the venue, like some kind of dazzling but cheap stone.
Her lower body was replaced by a snake tail covered with scales, and the movement of the cold skin could be vaguely seen.
Xiaoyue's snake body was gray-green, and its tail was stained with blood that had not been cleaned yet. The irregular blood clots formed a sharp contrast with the shiny body, which brought a great shock to Xiaowei.
Shi Youchen looked at Xiaoyue with an ambiguous look for a moment, and then he stopped paying attention to the entrances outside and reached out to firmly hold down Xiaowei who wanted to rush out.
Xiaoyue raised her slender arms to block the lights in the venue, then remembered that she was naked, so she immediately turned her arms to cover her body.
"Experimental subject, step down." The auctioneer's emotionless voice came from the face on the wall. Xiaoyue looked around blankly, then moved her waist at the urging of the people behind her, swam down with her snake tail, and swam to the center of the venue.
Xiaowei was pinned to her seat, unable to move, and could only watch her sister pass by her.
She bit her lips tightly, remembering what Shi Youchen said, but she didn't realize that her nails had scratched Shi Youchen's arm because she was holding it too tightly.
Shi Youchen deliberately suppressed the energy in his body and did not let it flow, so the wound on his arm did not heal automatically.
A bit of blood and skin fragments were embedded in the cracks between Xiaowei's nails.
Shi Youchen took a quick look at the other experimental subjects. As he expected, they were all the results of biological chimera, and the level of fusion was not high as visible to the naked eye.
These experimental subjects walked up their respective long steps and gathered outside the half of the cage.
The auctioneer adjusted his mask, examined each item, and then opened the terminal to confirm, "There is one minute left for the first lot. Please consider your bids as soon as possible."
Xiaowei became anxious and looked at Shi Youchen beside her. She found that he had already anticipated her reaction and was shaking his head gently at her.
This action made Xiaowei feel more at ease than any words.
Then she finally realized that she had scratched the other person, and hurriedly let go of her hand, feeling very flustered and at a loss.
Shi Youchen patted the back of her hand and said softly, "I'll solve it together in the end, just bear with it."
Then he took out a few candies he had prepared from his pocket and asked, "Want some?"
Xiao Wei was in no mood to eat snacks. She just smiled through her tears and said, "You eat it. I'm not hungry."
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