76: Chapter 76 D9 Hidden Auction

D9 Underground Auction.

The underground theater passage had been renovated. The old, tattered wall plaster was replaced with alloy blast-proof panels, and the ceiling chandeliers were all replaced with track-mounted sensor lights. Beams of cold white light cast sharp spots on the metal walls, looking exactly like blades.

The entrance passage was no longer the overgrown side door of the abandoned cinema; it was now a fully enclosed magnetic rail elevator. It featured smooth mirrored cabin walls, laser identity scanners, and security checkpoints with energy scanning pillars inserted on both sides.

"Clang—" The elevator landed.

The door opened, and Ye Nanxing and her group of four stepped out one by one.

Before their eyes, the dimension shifted instantly.

"...This is an auction?"

Zhao Wei looked around, showing a look of shock for the first time.

The underground space had been completely renovated. The track-mounted sensor lights scattered light like stars, the walls were pieced together with alloy blast-proof panels, and the sides of the walkway were covered in delicate mural projections. The ceiling was even fitted with a light-refracting dome that could simulate sunny weather.

"This is our first time entering D9, right?" Sun Hao murmured.

It wasn't that he hadn't seen big scenes before.

But amidst the extreme cold and bloodshed, seeing such a clean, calm, and even "wealth-smelling" space still left him momentarily dazed.

"...It's indeed luxurious." Zhang Tianjin said in a low voice, his eyes vigilant. "The more exquisite the place, the more dangerous it is."

The four of them walked slowly into the main hall.

They walked from the snowy wolf's den into the "Golden Empire" within the illusions of the Apocalypse.

The lighting in the hall was precisely laid out, and the carpet made no sound when stepped on. The seating area was filled with composite leather cushions, and even the tea was brewed at a constant temperature. Each row was equipped with exclusive whisper channels and voice-masking devices.

In the center of the circular auction stage, a beam of white light fell from the ceiling, shining on that "Ability Serum Sample" on the display stand, like an offering on an altar.

Outside, it was fifty degrees below zero, and food prices had increased sixfold.

But this group of people—drinking hot coffee, smoking cigars, chatting and laughing.

Any random item on them was something people outside couldn't get even if they risked their lives.

"...As expected," Ye Nanxing withdrew her gaze and spoke indifferently.

"No matter how the outside changes, the world of the rich never changes."

Her eyes swept across the entire venue.

Exquisitely dressed military executives, private group leaders wearing scale-armor ability suits, and quite a few high-level ability users followed by three or four combat attendants, all gathered in this corner that seemed like an "independent dimension" of the Apocalypse.

As if they never belonged to the disaster itself.

As if suffering only existed in the "supplies" column of the auction stage.

"This place is like a tumor of the Apocalypse." Sun Hao said in a low voice.

"People outside can't eat, and they are fighting over golden canned goods."

"Yes." Ye Nanxing responded softly.

"But they are the people qualified to 'make the rules'."

Zhao Wei curled his lips. "Then what are we?"

Ye Nanxing's eyes darkened.

She didn't care how soft the carpet was, how beautiful the lights were, or how fragrant the food was—she came only to seize items.

"What we are doesn't matter; she came to survive, to live well."

"If possible, be the one to break the rules."

The group nodded silently, and no one said anything else.

"Auction list loaded." Zhou Cheng operated quickly on the virtual interface and reported in a low voice:

"Energy, ability serums, heavy-load spare parts, private shield systems... all resources confirmed."

His fingertips paused, and his brows furrowed.

"But—the 'Zero Point Series' is gone."

"What?" Ye Nanxing frowned, her tone instantly cooling a few degrees.

"Thermal core fabric supplies have all been archived as 'Silin Chamber of Commerce · Specially Controlled Items'," Zhou Cheng added, "They now belong to the military technology sequence and are not in the public auction segment."

"In other words, to find them, we have to use connections or the gray market."

Zhao Wei clicked his tongue. "Are these clothes that popular?"

"If you had to squat for a night in the tundra at sixty degrees below zero," Ye Nanxing said indifferently, "you'd fight for them too."

"Then who do we look for now?" Zhang Tianjin whispered. "Zhou Xiao?"

"He gave us the pass, which is already the limit," Zhou Cheng said. "If we ask again, it becomes a debt."

"Then we'll take them." Ye Nanxing sat down, her tone devoid of any ripple. "As long as someone has them, we can definitely pry them loose."

She looked up, her eyes sweeping across the venue.

On the left side of the VIP area, the light fell, and a familiar figure suddenly intruded into her field of vision.—Chu Yunting.

He was wearing a grey-white heavy-duty long trench coat, his face handsome and refined, his contours sharp. He was leaning against the railing, browsing the electronic auction list with a calm expression, and the people around him seemed to consciously leave a small open space for him.

And two rows in front of him to the right, another figure sat lazily.—Zhou Xiao.

He also noticed her arrival. The man's gaze swept over indifferently, paused slightly when it landed on her, withdrew the hand that was casually leaning on the armrest, and his fingers tapped the back of the chair unconsciously.

His expression didn't change much. That trace of "concern" that shouldn't have appeared, hidden in the depths of his eyes, flashed by, but was clearly captured by Ye Nanxing.

She didn't reveal anything, just withdrew her gaze and sat down.

And at the very moment she sat down—Chu Yunting moved.

He circled the venue from the VIP area and walked towards this side, holding an electronic list in his hand. It seemed like he was just passing by, but when he passed her row, his steps paused slightly.

"...Ye Nanxing?" The voice was low and clear, with three parts of probing.

In the auction hall, the light poured down like blades, and the noise had not yet completely drowned out that soft call.

Ye Nanxing raised her eyes, her gaze calm, her voice indifferent: "Chu Yunting."

Her voice was not loud, but it seemed to isolate the surrounding noise.

Zhao Wei turned his head subconsciously, Sun Hao's fingers touched the tactical knife sheath at his waist, and Zhang Tianjin didn't move, only gently turned the magazine latch with his fingers.

"Who are you?" Zhao Wei was always direct.

"A... friend." Ye Nanxing replied casually.

At that moment, Chu Yunting clearly paused, his gaze falling on her face, his emotions complex, shock and nostalgia intertwined.

"You... you are really still alive." His eyes rarely welled up with a hint of emotion. "I thought you... that letter, did you write it?"

"I left it." Ye Nanxing nodded.

"You asked me to prepare supplies... saying this world 'is about to change'."

Chu Yunting's voice dropped, vaguely with a hint of uncertainty: "Do you know? I actually didn't really believe it."

"But I still did it."

"If it weren't for your letter, I wouldn't have stockpiled that batch of diesel, warm gear, and water purification systems... In the first few days of the extreme cold, I almost became a supply point for several surrounding Shelters."

"Thinking about it now, you helped me a lot again."

Ye Nanxing didn't respond, just nodded gently.

As he spoke, his tone paused slightly, his eyes filled with a mix of irony and emotion: "How did you know?"

"Intuition." Ye Nanxing spat out the two words indifferently.

"...Your intuition is as amazing as always."

Chu Yunting chuckled low, his gaze resting on her face, as if he wanted to see clearly, bit by bit, the emotions of not seeing her for all these days.