chsdbacks Chapter 321, 1 yuan
Chapter 321, 1 yuan
Auctioning missiles was crazy enough, but there wasn't even a reserve price? The various factions exchanged glances, their eyes darting around, each waiting for someone else to make the first move. The people from the Bear Country glanced at the people from the Sakura Country, the people from the Sakura Country glanced at the people from the Eagle Country, and the people from the Eagle Country looked at the bald bear with a faint smile on their lips.
Just then, a weak voice, tinged with hesitation and uncertainty, rang out from a corner at the back of the hall:
"Um... one yuan, is that okay?"
Swish!
Instantly, almost everyone's eyes turned to the source of the sound!
The young man, Zhang Chulan, wearing a bulky down jacket and a woolen hat, looking somewhat timid, was raising one hand with an "innocent" expression, making a "one" shape with his fingers, and looking at the bald bear with "trepidation." His expression was impeccably sincere, as if he genuinely thought it was a good idea, but was just a little embarrassed to speak up.
You could hear a pin drop in the hall.
Even Bald Bear was stunned, forgetting to smoke his cigar. He didn't even notice the ash falling on his expensive leather jacket and burning a small hole in it. He stared wide-eyed at Zhang Chulan, his mouth slightly open, as if trying to confirm whether he had misheard or was hallucinating.
One dollar?
Rubles? Or yuan?
In this situation, what about this thing?
After a brief silence, a variety of emotions exploded in the crowd!
Undisguised sneers and curses echoed from the "Fang of the Snowfield" in the Bear Kingdom. "Хватитдурачить! (Stop joking!)" the scarred, burly man roared in Russian, while the tall, thin man behind him let out a contemptuous sneer, as if looking at a foolish insect.
The members of the Sakura Ninja Association frowned, their eyes cold. The young ninja couldn't help but mutter a curse in Japanese: "Baka yarou! (Bastard!)" The old man in the kimono, however, kept his eyes closed, not even lifting his eyelids, as if he hadn't heard anything.
The suited elite from the "Freedom Vanguard" organization in the United States raised an eyebrow, a slight smile playing on his lips, seemingly finding it somewhat interesting. He turned his head and whispered something to the woman with gold-rimmed glasses beside him. The woman's expression didn't change; she simply adjusted her glasses.
The other groups of gangsters and brokers looked at them like they were idiots. Some shook their heads, some sneered, and some simply clicked their tongues, making no attempt to hide their contempt.
"Baka! Where did this idiot come from! Daring to make fun of us!" The young ninja from the Sakura Kingdom couldn't help but mutter angrily in Japanese again, his hand already on the hilt of the sword at his waist.
"Kid, are you looking for death?" the scarred, burly man from Xiong Guo growled in broken English, his eyes flashing with ferocity, his clenched fists cracking.
Being stared at by so many "big shots," Zhang Chulan seemed even more "afraid." He shrank back, shrinking halfway into his down jacket, but his hands remained raised, as if unsure when to lower them. He added softly, "Renminbi... is that okay? I... I only have this much pocket money..."
"puff--"
In the corner, Master Wang Ye couldn't help but chuckle softly, his shoulders shaking violently. He covered his mouth with his hand, but the laughter still leaked out through his fingers, making a suspicious "hissing" sound.
Even Nie Lingfeng's lips twitched almost imperceptibly. He lowered his eyelashes, pretending to look at Xiaoyun in his arms, but the arms holding the child tightened slightly.
Chen Duo silently hugged the cloth bag tightly, her head down, her shoulders trembling slightly.
Feng Baobao blinked, looked at Zhang Chulan, then tilted her head, seemingly seriously considering whether buying a missile for one yuan was worthwhile. Finally, she concluded, "A bit expensive." Her voice wasn't loud, but it was remarkably clear in the quiet hall.
"...!!!"
Zhang Chulan almost fainted. He desperately tried to signal to Feng Baobao with his eyes, but Feng Baobao looked at him blankly, completely misunderstanding.
Bald Bear finally snapped out of his daze, his facial muscles twitching a few times, his eyes turning extremely dangerous. He stared at Zhang Chulan and asked, word by word, "Kid, are you serious?"
"Of course I'm serious!" Zhang Chulan "mustered up his courage" and puffed out his chest, though it didn't make him much taller. "It's an auction, the highest bidder wins, and there's no reserve price. I'll bid one dollar, is that okay? What if no one else bids against me?" His expression was so sincere that it made you want to slap him. His eyes were shining, as if he could already see the wonderful scene of him bringing back a missile for one dollar.
"..." Bald Bear was speechless for a moment.
He set the rules, and he also said there was no bottom price. Now, this hothead—in his eyes, Zhang Chulan is just a reckless fool who doesn't know his own limitations—can't directly lash out, otherwise he'll be slapping himself in the face and losing face in front of everyone.
The fleshy part of his face twitched three times, the veins on his temples throbbed twice, and his teeth clenched so hard they clicked.
"Fine! Very well!" Bald Bear laughed angrily, slamming his hand on the table. The welded steel surface emitted a dull thud, seemingly making even the missile vibrate. "One yuan! RMB! Once!"
He wanted to see who dared to take on this challenge!
This was clearly an insult, a provocation, a spitting in his face! But everyone present knew that this wasn't a real bid; it was a signal that someone was deliberately trying to sabotage the event. Bald Bear knew this perfectly well, but he couldn't lash out. He could only go along with it and maintain the dignity of the "auction"—even if that dignity was as thin as a sheet of paper.
However, no sooner had he finished speaking than another voice rang out.
It was that suit-wearing elite from the "Freedom Vanguard" of the United States. He spoke slowly in fluent English, with a hint of amusement in his smile: "One thousand dollars."
He didn't really want to buy it, and Bald Bear knew it too. With this price, he both suppressed that ridiculous bid of one dollar, maintaining the "decency" of the auction, and at the same time, he was testing—testing Bald Bear's bottom line, testing the reactions of others, and testing how this charade should continue.
Bald Bear's expression softened slightly as he looked at the suited elite: "One thousand dollars, once!"
"Ten thousand rubles," the scarred, burly man from Xiongguo said coldly, his tone laced with disdain. The price he offered was slightly less than a thousand US dollars, but he used his own currency, displaying a haughty attitude and making his meaning clear: This is my territory, and it's not your place to run wild.
"One hundred thousand yen." The elderly man in a kimono from Japan spoke slowly, his voice calm, as if he were talking about something insignificant. His eyes remained closed, as if none of this concerned him.
Prices began to climb at a dizzying pace. Currency units switched back and forth: dollars, rubles, yen, euros… and someone even shouted out Bitcoin and gold—that was a hooded broker in the corner, his voice hoarse and his face obscured.
In just a few minutes, the missile's value skyrocketed from a laughable dollar to tens of millions of dollars, and it's still increasing!
All the factions clearly came prepared. The "Snowfield Fang" from the Bear Kingdom brought several large suitcases; opening one corner revealed stacks of crisp, gleaming US dollars. While the Sakura Kingdom didn't display cash, their young ninja carried an antique wooden box with sealing talismans, its contents priceless. The Eagle Kingdom was the most composed; the woman with gold-rimmed glasses tapped away on a tablet, each price increase precise to two decimal places, as if conducting a perfectly ordinary financial transaction.
Zhang Chulan had already withdrawn his hand and hid behind Nie Lingfeng, concealing his merits and fame.
His outburst, seemingly nonsensical, instantly shattered the initial tension and tentative atmosphere of the auction, stirring up the waters and igniting the tempers and competitive spirit of all parties. Now, no one pays attention to this "one-dollar" hothead anymore—everyone is staring at the soaring price, at each other's eyes, at that cold missile, and the air is thick with invisible hostility.
Nie Lingfeng nodded inwardly. Zhang Chulan's unconventional ideas always came up unexpectedly, but they often had surprising effects. One yuan, no more, no less, was stuck perfectly in Bald Bear's throat, neither spitting it out nor swallowing it down, making the other party feel embarrassed but also preventing him from retaliating. Not everyone has this kind of sense of proportion.
Prices are still soaring, approaching the $100 million mark, and some are starting to offer "hard-hitting" items at inflated prices.
"One hundred million US dollars, plus a copy of the ancient sword manual 'Yagyu Shinkage-ryu'!" the elderly man from Japan said in a deep voice, finally opening his eyes. His eyes were dark brown, and a glint of sword light seemed to flash in his pupils. Upon hearing the words "ancient sword manual," many sword practitioners present quickened their breaths. Yagyu Shinkage-ryu was a renowned school in the history of Japanese swordsmanship; a genuine ancient sword manual was invaluable.
"One hundred and twenty million, plus three kilograms of 'Snowfield Ice Marrow'!" The scarred, burly man from Xiong Guo retorted defiantly, his voice echoing like thunder in the hall. Snowfield Ice Marrow is a rare refining material produced in the frigid Siberian lands. It is said to be the essence of heaven and earth condensed in the permafrost, and a piece the size of a fingernail can elevate a magical artifact by one grade. Three kilograms—that's an astronomical figure.
"One hundred and fifty million US dollars, and... a detailed analysis report on the recent energy fluctuations of the 'Twenty-Four Heavenly Valleys'." The British elite in a suit slowly announced a heavy offer.
Twenty-Four Solar Terms Grain!
These four words were like a stone thrown into calm water, instantly changing the atmosphere in the hall.
The secret of the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Valley has always been a focus of attention—it's a place countless people flock to but never gain entry into. Its energy fluctuation analysis report might even be more valuable than a missile itself!
The moment this bargaining chip was revealed, even Bald Bear's eyes lit up, his pupils dilated slightly, and the corners of his mouth involuntarily turned up. The expressions of the other factions changed drastically—the old man from the Sakura Kingdom frowned even more, the scarred, burly man from the Bear Kingdom clenched his fists so tightly they cracked, and even the eyes of the brokers and gang leaders sharpened.