Chapter 146 Drives People Crazy!
He didn't raise his hand; he simply calmly stated the price.
Josie's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly beneath her mask.
It's him again!
She forced herself to suppress the intense unease in her heart and maintained the pace of the auction.
"Six pieces, once."
"Six pieces, twice."
"Six dollars, three times. Sold!"
The first catalyst, priced at the cost of six second-order crystal cores, fell into the hands of that mysterious man.
A team member, also dressed in tactical gear and with a stern expression, stepped forward, placed the six faintly glowing crystal cores in the spot designated by Josie, and then carefully took the pale blue test tube.
Having obtained the catalyst, Mu Yanzhou looked up at Qiao Xi and asked, "How much of this do you have?"
Josie didn't want to pay attention to him, but with everyone staring at her, she had no choice but to answer, "Twenty."
Mu Yanzhou gripped the reagent tightly. "I hope you're not lying to me."
The representative of "Rock" didn't show much expression, after all, it was still impossible to confirm whether the thing was real or fake.
"How about we call in an ordinary person to test whether this thing is real or fake?"
Mu Yanzhou ignored him and gestured to his men.
Soon, an ordinary man, pale and emaciated with a blank stare, who had been wandering on the outskirts of the black market, was brought in.
He looked around at the menacing-looking superhumans with superpowers, trembling with fear.
"Drink it." The rock, representing Yue Qin, said, "Drink it, and you'll have a chance to become a superhuman, and you won't have to suffer from hunger and cold anymore."
The ordinary person looked at the blue liquid flowing in the test tube, and fear first appeared in their eyes, followed by a strong will to survive.
Becoming a superhuman is the only hope for the underprivileged to rise above their circumstances in the apocalypse.
He barely hesitated, trembling as he took the test tube, pulled out the stopper, and tilted his head back to pour the icy liquid down his throat!
The entire factory fell silent once more, all eyes fixed on this thin, ordinary man, holding their breath.
Time seemed to stretch out.
A few seconds passed... more than ten seconds passed... just as some people began to show sarcasm, and the Rock Representative's face grew increasingly gloomy,
"Ugh!"
The ordinary man suddenly let out a painful roar, his body convulsed violently, and his skin instantly turned bright red, as if flames were burning inside him.
A scorching, violent aura suddenly erupted from his body.
*Sizzle!*
A small cluster of crimson flames leaped and burned without warning above his outstretched palm.
Though faint, it was incredibly real!
"Fire...fire-type ability! He really awakened it!" someone exclaimed in surprise.
"It's done! It really is done!"
The frenzied shouts instantly engulfed the factory!
"Potion! Give me a potion!"
Sell them to me! I'll take as many as you have!
"Get out of the way! Our 'Blood Wolf Gang' took a liking to it first!"
Representatives from several major forces, including the middle-aged man from "Rock" who had just had a gloomy expression, now rushed forward like gamblers with bloodshot eyes, their target the storage box in Josie's hand.
The situation instantly spiraled out of control!
Shen Han's eyes sharpened, and he took a step forward. Thick black mist suddenly appeared, forming a barrier that forcefully pushed aside the people at the forefront.
"Go back!"
Josie's voice boomed like thunder, coming through the mask with undeniable authority and a chilling warning, "If you want to be blacklisted, take another step forward!"
The representatives of the forces who were pushed aside had ashen faces and burning anger in their eyes, but looking at Shen Han, who was releasing a powerful aura, they had never seen such a mutated ability before, and they felt a little scared.
Then, thinking of the miraculous potion that could mass-produce superhumans... the enormous profits ultimately overwhelmed the impulse.
They gritted their teeth, panting heavily, and reluctantly retreated step by step to their original positions.
Ignoring the various stares around him, Josie's voice regained its auction-like calmness, yet carried a hint of domineering control: "A success rate of over seventy percent, the effects of which you have all witnessed. Therefore, the next auction will be for ten catalysts. Sold as a bundle, starting price: fifty Tier 2 crystal cores!"
This time, there was no hesitation.
"Fifty-five!" The representative of "Rock" practically roared.
"Sixty!" The ruthless bandit leader of the Blood Wolf Gang retorted defiantly.
"Sixty-two!" The representative of the Dawn Chamber of Commerce calmly raised the price.
"Sixty-seven." That deep, steady voice rang out again from the corner.
It's him again!
Moreover, each time they raised their bids, they did so with an air of absolute determination and overwhelming dominance, directly setting themselves up five points ahead of the competition!
The situation instantly became tense! Prices soared amidst fierce competition.
"seventy!"
Seventy-three!
Seventy-five!
"Seventy-eight!"
When the price reached seventy-eight, the voices of most forces fell silent.
The reserve of nearly a hundred second-tier crystal cores is not something that every force can easily produce, especially such a large quantity at once.
"Eighty-two." The mysterious man's voice remained steady, as if he were only uttering an insignificant number.
This time, no one answered.
Ten catalysts, at the exorbitant price of eighty-two second-order crystal cores, once again fell into that man's pocket.
His teammates stepped forward again, placed a heavy, bulging cloth bag on the ground, and inside, the crystal nuclei collided, producing a crisp and pleasant sound. At the same time, they took away the ten precious blue test tubes.
Throughout the entire process, the man in the windbreaker seemed to never take his eyes off Josh's masked face.
Ignoring his scrutinizing gaze, Josie continued the final auction: "Third round, nine catalysts. Starting price: forty-five second-order crystal cores."
Ultimately, Mu Yanzhou acquired all nine catalysts for the price of seventy-five crystal cores.
The others couldn't compete with him at all and could only stare helplessly, seething with anger.
At this point, all twenty catalysts were sold out, and the heavy cloth bag in Josie's hand was filled with a total of one hundred and sixty-three second-order crystal cores that emitted pure energy fluctuations!
This enormous wealth is enough to allow the low-level ability users in the stronghold to experience a qualitative leap in strength!
Josie weighed the bag in her hand, a surge of excitement welling up inside her.
The increased strength of the stronghold means a greater ability to hunt higher-level zombies and more crystal cores...
This will create a powerful virtuous cycle!
As the auction concluded, the crowd dispersed, carrying a complex mix of disappointment and deep-seated resentment.
The scorpion immediately swarmed forward like a shark smelling fish, rubbing its hands together, its face plastered with an almost fawning smile, its beady eyes gleaming with undisguised greed: "Grandma! You see... that... agency rights you mentioned before? Next time there's something like this, what do you think...?"
He stared longingly at the bag of crystal cores in Josie's hand, his throat bobbing involuntarily.
One hundred and sixty-three second-order crystal cores!
This temptation is enough to drive anyone crazy.
If he hadn't personally witnessed Shen Han's unpredictable black mist and Qiao Xi's ruthless and decisive methods, he probably would have already been tempted to take the risk.
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