Chapter 92 Waiting for the Best Price
At 7 p.m., as the fiery red sunset clouds were about to fade from the horizon, Luo Huayi, accompanied by Cheng Zheng and bodyguards, slowly walked from the banquet hall on the sixth floor into the transparent elevator leading to the second floor.
Outside the spotless glass, the city lights are just coming on.
The decorative lights in the square have been turned on, and the light show on the exterior walls of the high-rise buildings has also changed its effects in sync with the music playing from outside.
The deep sea stretches endlessly into the distance, untouched by the lights, while people come and go outside the descending elevator... This place is like a city floating on the sea, where people spend money like water and indulge in a life of extravagance and debauchery.
"Mr. Luo Huayi?" The uniforms of the waiters waiting to greet guests at the door and the waiters who guided him into the cruise ship were completely different in style, which showed that the waiters here belonged to a different organization.
The waiter, dressed in a dark patterned shirt and vest, carefully checked Luo Huayi's identity before letting her in.
"I'm sorry, sir, but according to the rules of the auction, only one assistant is allowed to enter with each guest." The man smiled as he stopped his fully armed bodyguard at the door.
Not far away, fully armed mercenaries had already set their sights on Luo Huayi, seemingly ready to take action and suppress the scene should the guest raise any objections.
Luo Huayi and Cheng Zheng exchanged a glance.
In the end, he still led Cheng Zheng into the brightly lit entrance passage.
After we took our seats, the lights in the entire venue dimmed shortly afterward.
...
"Distinguished guests who have traveled from afar, welcome to the Victoria Evening Curiosities Auction."
The auctioneer, dressed in a dark-patterned shirt and vest uniform similar to that of the doorman, smiled politely. "This auction is hosted by the Dispelling Calamity and Immortality Society. I am the auctioneer, Arnon, and I will be introducing the various auction items to our distinguished guests tonight."
What follows is a lengthy explanation of the precautions and procedures.
So far, Luo Huayi has not found anything different about this place from other normal auctions.
The information card for the first item was displayed on the large, high-definition screen behind Arnoun.
The photo on the large screen was of a foreign man.
"This item may be unfamiliar to you distinguished guests," the auctioneer said with an unchanged smile, "but he was originally the vice president of the Chang family branch of the underground violent organization [Xuanhetang] in a certain port city."
Luo Huayi looked at Cheng Zheng, who showed a knowing expression.
It was the Chang family, the one whose operation was wiped out by the police in their country.
Xin Que also impersonated a member of the Chang family.
"In order to capture this wanted criminal who was hiding in a small border country, the Eternal Life Exorcism Society mobilized a lot of connections and financial resources. Naturally, you should also know the value of this vice president himself."
Whispers arose from the nearby seats.
Some were just watching the spectacle, some were assessing the man's worth, and others were his former enemies from his time in the underworld.
From the auctioneer's vague description, one can roughly guess what kind of client will bid on this person.
They were either enemies with whom he had a deep-seated grudge, or they wanted to use him to find out about the huge amount of property and resources that had leaked out of Xuanhetang before it was brought down.
My gaze shifted to the edge of the venue, where a mercenary stood with his hands behind his back, about two meters away.
They were all foreigners.
You could even see the gun barrels protruding from their holsters.
Cheng Zheng stood beside Luo Huayi, just like the other special assistants who stood guard over the guests.
But he never relaxed.
The atmosphere here is only superficially harmonious.
Besides goods, the items displayed on the exhibition stand even included women and children from war-torn countries.
The guests in the room showed no unusual emotions, taking it all in stride, and discussed in hushed tones which item was more worth buying.
After the firearms were taken away, several other bizarre human artifacts were found.
Luo Huayi forced herself to suppress her discomfort and focus her gaze on the data cards that kept switching across the screen.
"Next up is the final lot of this auction, number 22."
"Although we can't find out which gang this woman belongs to... her proficiency in both physical skills and modern portable firearms is top-tier, even by mercenary standards."
When the large screen behind the auctioneer switched to photos of the auction items, Luo Huayi's pupils contracted.
It really is Xin Que.
...
"Is lot number 22 ready?"
A man in a dark-patterned shirt and vest uniform led a mercenary carrying a submachine gun into the warehouse and gestured to his colleagues to transport the auction items onto the elevator and onto the display stand on the ground.
"Hmm," the colleague turned and walked towards the iron cage covered with a black cloth placed against the wall by the warehouse entrance. "Is it her turn?"
Several staff members came over and worked together to lift the cage onto the cart.
"The weight is wrong!" The uniformed man in charge's expression changed slightly, and he gestured for the others to put the cage down.
The black cloth was suddenly ripped off.
In the corner of the cage lay a man with a purplish-blue face and bulging eyes.
The shirt under his vest was the same style as the shirts worn by the others, and the exposed marks on his neck were shocking.
The men outside the cage showed no fear whatsoever. Instead, they immediately picked up their walkie-talkies and contacted their mercenaries outside the arena to come over immediately.
"Escaped on the 22nd, requesting support from the Corps."
The auctioneer on the stage maintained his smile as he heard the voice in his earpiece: "I'm very sorry, there was a small mishap with lot number 22, but it should be resolved within ten minutes... Let's introduce lot number 23 first."
The pacing was perfectly controlled, and no one even questioned the delayed appearance of player number 22.
Luo Huayi didn't know whether she should breathe a sigh of relief or continue to be on edge.
Judging from the reactions of other guests, such delays seem to be a common occurrence, such as when a temperamental item is not tamed and requires special methods to calm it down.
Whether it's medicine or...
Luo Huayi, however, hoped that Xin Que's abilities surpassed theirs, and that she had already escaped the unexpected situation.
But the unchanging atmosphere on the field made him uneasy.
Distracted, Luo Huayi waited until the last item was sold before leaving the venue with Cheng Zheng amidst the auctioneer's apology.
Xin Que did not appear until the end of the auction.
So, she must have escaped?
As soon as they stepped out of the venue, Luo Huayi and Cheng Zheng saw mercenaries guarding the various stairwells.
The number of people has increased significantly.
"Mr. Luo," Cheng Zheng said in a low voice as he spoke with Luo Huayi as they walked out, "it's unbelievable that Miss Xin's information appeared at the auction..."
"Has she been targeted by the Eternal Life Society?"
Luo Huayi nodded slightly, and after meeting up with her bodyguards, she walked towards the guest room building where they were staying. "These extra mercenaries are probably here to hunt her down."
Cheng Zheng fell silent. Before the elevator doors closed, he looked at the mercenaries at the entrance of the auction house, who were talking about something and had serious expressions.
"Cheng Zheng," Luo Huayi's voice rang out, "how many people can we mobilize at most on the cruise ship?"
He came to his senses and realized that Luo Huayi meant to save Xin Que. He slowly shook his head and said, "Such a huge force is entrenched on the cruise ship... Compared to them, we are just a drop in the ocean."
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