Ren Yuanhao raised his eyebrows slightly. Even with makeup and disguise, his smile was as radiant as snow after a spring rain.
He slowly resumed his previous pose, his index finger pointed upwards, holding the placard high, as if possessing the spirit of unwavering determination in the face of overwhelming odds.
The crowd's hearts sank. Kankenn, however, was pleased to see this outcome, as escaping even a second sooner meant a greater measure of safety.
"Young friend, what is this?"
"Old rules, bid whatever you please, always ten thousand more than them," Ren Yuanhao bowed to all sides. "Everyone, I was instantly captivated by this item. I, your humble servant, have no other skills but abundant wealth. If you compete with me, I will remember it forever. If you show me deference, I will also remember your kindness. These words are not a threat, nor are they meant to display my wealth, but only to express my resolve. If I inadvertently steal your grace, I beg your indulgence."
Ren Yuanhao's bank balance had already made them hesitant. To mention that it was merely his pocket money was another matter. After repeated deliberation, they concluded that making an enemy of this man would bring nothing but harm and no benefit. It was better to do him a favor, and perhaps he might truly be of assistance one day.
One by one, they bowed and withdrew from the auction hall.
It was now dusk. The sun was setting, and the clouds were ablaze like fire. Ren Yuanhao, as the biggest winner of the auction, was driving a horse-drawn carriage to transport all the items back to be stored at Zag's home.
"Brother Bao, so many Mandala genes falling into Kankenn's hands will absolutely be a significant threat."
Mu Yunyan's brows were tightly furrowed. At this moment, Sha Yunba, having just finished inventorying the goods, found that not a single item was missing, and interjected, "Actually, whether this shipment is delivered or not, the outcome is death. The thought of this problem makes my heart feel so heavy!"
"Indeed. But if this matter is not addressed, more people will die." Ren Yuanhao examined the yellowish-brown 'egg' he had obtained, unable to see why it was worth ten million.
"Perhaps. After all, we've delayed for two or three days, and the recipient must be extremely anxious. Moreover, such a large batch of Mandala genes can influence too many things. If the clues lead back, this Sand City will likely be in danger."
Mu Yunyan understood Ren Yuanhao's meaning. At the same time, she turned to whisper to Sha Yunba, "Do you think Brother Bao is a bit devastated? He spent ten million on an egg~"
"Miss, I don't think so. He's probably just gone mad, too much of a shock. Snake girl~"
"Stop it. If you don't speak, we can still be friends." Mu Yunyan placed her hand on Sha Yunba's shoulder, turned her head, and let out a devilish laugh.
"You two stop guessing. I'm currently pondering a question. Before coming here, I heard that these Mandala genes were transported from Gu Yaoshi. Naturally, I assumed the source was in Gu Yaoshi. But I never expected that the origin might entirely be in your city now."
Ren Yuanhao even speculated that this route had formed an industry chain. To uncover the mastermind behind it, they would have to play along and infiltrate their base.
"However, we haven't encountered such things in our city before," Mu Yunyan said, then lowered her head. "But we usually wouldn't come into contact with psionicists. Even if we did, they wouldn't point to their own noses and say they were psionicists."
"Alright, don't overthink it. I need to go and snatch back the Mandala genes to prevent further trouble. You two stay put at Zag's house and don't wander off. I have a feeling something else is going to happen." Ren Yuanhao put away the expensive auction items and vanished into the warehouse in a flash.
...
At this opportune moment, the sky had darkened. Fiery red oil lamps were lit on the streets. The electricity infrastructure here was still a problem. Generally, only aristocratic and wealthy families had solar panels installed, generating electricity from sunlight to power household appliances. Most people still used these old facilities.
The top of the city lord's mansion no longer flashed with brilliant light. Perhaps the black market fellows had completed the assessment and acquisition of his property. Merchants were always driven by profit; in the face of absolute profit, they could even betray their own allies.
Kankenn and his collaborators had already purchased the best horses and consulted the best astrologer about the weather, clearly making preparations to flee.
They walked into a dark alley, harboring aspirations for tomorrow. Perhaps it would be a spring breeze facing the sea, or perhaps it would be a vast blue sea with bikini-clad beauties swaying their graceful figures on the beach.
In any case, the future was bright.
However, before a bright future, there would always be a period of darkness, and now, the deepest darkness was approaching.
As the two walked side by side, they suddenly noticed a crimson shadow cast before them.
"Yo, good evening, gentlemen."
The shadow bowed to them, exceedingly gentlemanly.
The two looked ahead warily. They were very familiar with this dark alley. At a normal walking pace, they should be able to walk through it in a dozen steps and reach a clothing store.
But the giant blood-red shadow completely blocked their line of sight.
What was even more incomprehensible was that there was no one visible in front or behind the shadow.
"Stop this charade, what do you want with us?"
Kankenn did not remember knowing such a strange person. He had never heard such a gentlemanly voice, yet it conveyed a chilling coldness.
"The night is long, I'm here to chat about life."
Upon hearing this, Kankenn immediately swallowed and placed one hand on the backpack of the man beside him, whispering into his ear, "Brother, prepare to run."
"Yo, it seems you two don't welcome me. Are you planning to escape?"
The blood-red shadow seemed to be able to see through their thoughts.
Kankenn instinctively took half a step back and felt the voice move to behind them!
"Don't be agitated, I'm just here to chat about life. I've always had a question: you took so many Mandala genes, which is akin to carrying a baby with raw jade through the city. Have you ever considered how to digest them? Are you going to find a big city and set up a stall saying, 'Come, come, inject this thing and you'll become a Super Saiyan'?"
What Kankenn feared most had appeared. He clutched the Mandala genes as if they were his entire world. "Who are you?"
"Perhaps you can consider me an ally, or perhaps you can consider me a plunderer. Of course, both these titles depend entirely on your decision."
Kankenn immediately understood the meaning of the bloody red shadow - he also wanted a piece of the pie.
"Oh? Hiding your face like this, we wouldn't dare cooperate with such a friend."
As Kankenn spoke, another extremely familiar voice came from atop the high wall. "Heh, it's quite lively tonight. The four of us can just make a mahjong table."
Who else could this person be but Ren Yuanhao?