Chapter 132 Part 2

After leaving the auction house, instead of returning to the hotel, the two of them waited until the auction house staff got off work for the day before heading back. They installed pinhole cameras from various angles in the auction hall. Shan Ming disassembled his sniper rifle and concealed it inside a cloth bag, which they placed underneath the seat in the private booth they had reserved. They thoroughly surveyed the auction hall, paying particular attention to the locations of the three exits. They even sabotaged one of the exit doors.

With everything prepared, they returned to the hotel and began monitoring the auction house’s every move using binoculars and camera monitors.

Shan Ming saw Zhao Qingling take out the real horn and asked, “What do you plan to do with it?”

“I will hide it somewhere in the hotel tomorrow.”

“Why not burn it?”

“If the operation fails, it will be our last bargaining chip,” Zhao Qingling said as she took out a knife and began scraping the horn.

Shan Ming frowned and asked, “You’re planning to use it?”

Zhao Qingling collected a small amount of powder and wrapped it in a tissue, tucking it into her inner pocket. She glanced at Shan Ming and said, “Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to suppress Shen Yao.”

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“Ebyv okzz byrrld… yqvla usw wpl kv?”

“R’zz qyzz kdvs y ellr nsxy yde oswze vyjl y zsdt vkxl vs alnshla xu csekzu qwdnvksdp. Gd lmnlppkhl espl nswze cl qyvyz, cwv dscseu bye lhla vlpvle kv.” Hbys Ckdtzkdt oayrrle vbl Fly Paytsd’p Tsad kd yd skzle nzsvb yde blze kv vktbvzu. Fbl prsjl okvb y plakswp vsdl, “Xwa scflnvkhl vbkp vkxl kp vs alpnwl Ubydtgl. El pbswzed’v nsdqasdv Fbld Zys blye-sd.”

“Ekzz bl cakdt Fbld Ubydtgl okvb bkx?”

“R esd’v jdso, cwv R jdso bl okzz nsxl qsa pwal. Xdnl bl yrrlyap, kv osd’v cl ekqqknwzv vs qkde swv oblal bl’p bkekdt.”

Fbyd Ykdt vktbvldle bkp takr sd vbl twd kd bkp byde. Kwpv vbl vbswtbv sq Fbld Zys xyel bkp czsse cskz. Tl nswze lhld blya vbl asyakdt pswde lxydyvkdt qasx ellr okvbkd bkp cseu.

Ohlau xkdwvl yde plnsde sq vbl oykv oyp lmnawnkyvkdtzu ekqqknwzv. Gaswde 8 s’nzsnj sd Wakeyu, yp vbl pju vwadle nsxrzlvlzu eyaj, nyap pvyavle ryajkdt kd qasdv sq vbl pxyzz pvsalqasdv sq vbl Oelzcasnj Gwnvksd Tswpl. Rxrlnnyczu ealpple twlpvp pvlrrle swv sq vbl nyap kd oyhlp yde ldvlale vbl ywnvksd bswpl. Mbl zsnyz vlaasakpv satydkgyvksd yzoyup rashkele plnwakvu qsa vbl ywnvksd bswpl, yde yaxle twyaep pwaaswdele vbl ralxkplp.

Mbl vos rwzzle wr vbl nwavykdp, zlyhkdt sdzu y pxyzz tyr kd vbl nsadla, yde wple dktbv hkpksd tsttzlp vs scplahl vbl ldvaydnl. Mblu vssj vwadp jllrkdt oyvnb qsa shla yd bswa. Ju vbl vkxl kv oyp byzq-rypv dkdl, yd kdnsdprknwswp FBA ryajle yv vbl ldvaydnl. Rv pvsse swv yxkepv vbl zwmwakswp nyap nsxkdt yde tskdt. Tsolhla, vbl rlapsd obs tsv swv sq vbl hlbknzl xyel Fbyd Ykdt yde Hbys Ckdtzkdt okeld vblka lulp kd ypvsdkpbxldv.

Wkapv, Fbld Zys pvlrrle swv qasx vbl ryppldtla plyv. Plprkvl olyakdt y pwkv yde pwdtzypplp, vblal oyp ds xkpvyjkdt vbl kxrspkdt ralpldnl sq vbkp xyd. Mbld, vbl essa sq vbl eakhla’p plyv srldle, yde y bydepsxl uswdt xyd pvlrrle swv sq vbl nya.

Shan Ming’s heart clenched tightly in his chest.

Shen Changze!

Shen Changze’s appearance hadn’t changed much since they last parted six months ago. However, his demeanor was now cold and his thin lips carried an air of disdain and rejection towards those around him. The impeccably tailored suit on him accentuated his figure perfectly.

At the Edelbrock Auction House, where there were rarely any Asian visitors, especially ones as striking as Shen Changze, his presence immediately drew the attention of both the guests and staff members. They couldn’t help but steal glances at him.

Shen Yao handed a piece of paper to the security guard at the entrance. The guard scanned it with an electronic scanner and then two people approached them for a routine body search. After the search, they gestured for them to proceed inside.

The two entered the auction house.

The entire process took just over a minute, but for the two individuals hiding in the hotel, it felt like a long and heavy torment.

Zhao Qingling lowered her gaze, as if speaking to Shan Ming but also murmuring to herself, “Is that Changze? He has grown so much…”

Shan Ming wiped his face, suppressing his surging emotions. He extinguished his cigarette and stood up. “Let’s go inside too.”

The auction began, and Shan Ming and Zhao Qingling sat in a private booth in the northeast corner. Shen Yao and Shen Changze had not reserved a booth but instead sat in the second row of seats. The attendance was relatively small this time, with only about fifty people present. As the seating was scattered, there were hardly any people around them. It could be said that they were practically exposed, with their profiles easily visible. Shan Ming had the urge to pull out his gun and aim it at Shen Yao’s head right then and there.

But he knew that at such a close distance, before he could even fire the gun, those two individuals would surely notice him.

He discreetly retrieved the concealed weapons from under his seat, slipping the two handguns into his clothing and a combat knife into his waist. Then, he carefully assembled the sniper rifle on-site.

The tightly fitted suit made him feel uncomfortable. He rarely wore suits, and this one was a temporary purchase, not custom-made. This worried him, as he feared it might hinder his movements.

He didn’t pay much attention to the earlier items up for auction, but one of them caught his eye. It was said to be a jade hairpin from the Qing Dynasty that had supposedly been smuggled out of the imperial court in China. To his surprise, it fetched a staggering price of $6.7 million, leaving him somewhat astonished.

They waited for an hour, and as it approached nearly 11 o’clock, all the auction items had been showcased except for one final item. Everyone was intrigued and curious about what the final auction item would be.

Typically, people believed that the final item would be the highlight of the auction, so the anticipation was heightened. However, the manager had placed it last not because of its significance but due to concerns that it could potentially cause trouble. If it causes a problem so early in the auction, they wouldn’t be able to sell the other items. Thus, the item was presented last as a precautionary measure.

The auctioneer described the recently unearthed treasure from China in a deadpan manner, even fabricating a legendary myth around it. He boasted about how this item was a rare and nourishing elixir, claiming it to be a truly extraordinary and otherworldly artifact. In any case, the Sea Dragon’s Horn did have an aura that set it apart from ordinary objects.

The curiosity and excitement of many attendees were aroused. However, the majority of them approached the auction with a spectating mentality. They had experienced instances where they had paid a high price for what turned out to be worthless items, and they were reluctant to make the same mistake again. Despite the allure, they were not easily fooled. Just by listening to the description, they sensed that it might be a deceptive gimmick.

A beautiful female staff member, wearing white gloves, lifted the red cloth covering the glass display case. Inside, there lay an object resembling a deer’s antler, but it was clearly not derived from any deer, as it emitted a faint golden glow, captivating to behold. Alongside the display, there was an old, corroded carved copper box. Its original color had faded, but the faint patterns were still discernible. This was the very box used to store the Sea Dragon’s Horn, and Shen Yao would definitely recognize it.

Sure enough, Shan Ming noticed a subtle movement in Shen Yao’s shoulder. His body leaned slightly forward as he focused his gaze on the fake Sea Dragon’s Horn.

They were about seven to eight meters away from the glass display case. Moreover, separated by sealed bulletproof glass, no scent could penetrate through. Shen Yao couldn’t possibly distinguish if it was real or fake.

The auctioneer began the bidding, starting at a price of one million.

A wealthy businessman from Italy, raised the bid to one million five hundred thousand with a playful mindset.

As soon as his hand came down, Shen Changze’s hand went up. His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried a resolute and powerful tone that could not be ignored, “Five million.”

Everyone looked at him in shock, unable to believe that someone would bid five million for something that was difficult to discern as genuine, something that they had never even heard of before.

Zhao Qingling lowered her head and changed her tone before calling out, “Eight million.”

It truly reached the climax, and the interest of the audience present was stirred up. However, they were not deceived because it was highly likely that these two individuals were accomplices.

Shen Yao and Shen Changze turned their heads simultaneously, looking toward the private booth on the second floor. However, from their current angle, they couldn’t see anyone at all.

Shen Yao gave Shen Changze a glance, and then Shen Changze raised his hand once again. “Ten million.”

The whole venue was in an uproar. This thing, no matter how you looked at it, seemed like a sham, yet the bidding price exceeded that of the highest-priced jade hairpin in tonight’s auction. Edelbrock Auction House had already sold collectibles for over ten million dollars consecutively for three sessions. Although there were no sky-high collectibles tonight, the appearance of this “Finale Treasure” pushed the auction to a climax.

Zhao Qingling raised her hand and called a high bid of “20 million.” Well, she wouldn’t actually pay, so she just called whatever.

Shen Yao finally realized that something wasn’t right. Instead of continuing to bid, he whispered something to Shen Changze and then took out his phone.

As the auctioneer began to confirm the final bid, when the wooden hammer struck for the third time, Shan Ming’s bullet had already hit the alarm system. The alarm emitted a piercing buzz, and chaos erupted among the guests. Under the escort of the security guards, they started evacuating through the entrance.

Shen Yao and Shen Changze stood up, turning their heads to look at the private booth.

Zhao Qingling opened a tear gas canister and threw it down.