267: Chu Tian's invitation

“Ten million Demonic Crystals.”

Gu Qinghan’s voice was like still water, betraying no emotional fluctuations.

But the strangest thing was that none of the VIPs on the top floor made a bid.

At the same time, they all turned their gazes to the person who had been bidding against Gu Qinghan earlier.

This scene gave everyone the feeling that this sole bidding VIP must be a strong individual.

The Auction House experienced a rare period of harmony; apart from the few remaining people on the very bottom floor who were still fighting, everyone else was waiting for the bidding to end.

Ultimately, Gu Qinghan won the secret realm key for ten million Demonic Crystals.

Gu Qinghan didn't have that many Demonic Crystals on him, but the Demonic Crystals he had just earned from the auction was already an astronomical figure.

When this secret realm key, shaped somewhat like a dial, appeared in Gu Qinghan’s hand, he felt a surge of excitement.

“Alright, after a fierce bidding war, we will give everyone some time to rest or gather wealth.

You are welcome to leave your seats and enter the lounge to participate in the mini-games we have prepared for you.

The second half of the auction is being prepared, so please ensure you have sufficient funds.”

A doorway appeared next to each seat, but only those on the lowest floor did not receive this treatment.

At this moment, the people on the lowest floor were less than one-fifth of their original number, most of them injured, with only a very few able to remain unscathed in such chaotic combat.

Those who climbed to the upper floor cheered and celebrated their success.

Those who remained on the bottom floor had varied expressions, but no longer had the courage to act.

Gu Qinghan slowly rose, meeting the gaze of everyone on that floor one by one, then walked directly into the doorway.

After passing through the doorway, it was still the familiar lounge, where the fatty was rubbing his hands, watching him.

“Oh my, the auction just now was truly exciting, it even got me a little worked up!”

Gu Qinghan completely ignored the flattery and asked curiously:

“After deducting what I spent, how many Demonic Crystals will I ultimately receive?”

The fatty’s eyes narrowed into a thin line as he slowly replied:

“All your scrolls were bid up very high. After deducting our Auction House’s commission and the Demonic Crystals you spent on purchases… you ultimately received a total of 84.86 million Demonic Crystals.”

Gu Qinghan nodded; this number was close to his own calculations.

If he hadn't spent any Demonic Crystals, and added the Demonic Crystals he already possessed, his assets at this point might have already exceeded one hundred million.

That’s a small goal!

“Due to the enormous quantity of Demonic Crystals, we will not issue them yet. You can use these credits in subsequent auctions.

If these credits are not fully consumed after the auction ends, you will receive all the remaining Demonic Crystals.”

The fatty continued to chatter beside Gu Qinghan, and after saying these words, a hint of hesitation actually appeared on his face.

Gu Qinghan turned to look at him, asking curiously:

“What’s wrong? You can speak directly if there’s something on your mind.”

The fatty looked at Gu Qinghan, who was less than two meters away, staring at his confident and bright eyes for a long time.

Finally, he sighed and whispered:

“You might be in great danger in this auction’s game.

In short, I hope you can survive, after all, you made me a fortune.”

After speaking, he gave a wry smile and walked away.

Gu Qinghan looked at his retreating back, silent for a long time.

It wasn't until a large door in front of him opened, and a faint suction force was felt, that Gu Qinghan stepped inside.

“Is this the Auction House? No, there’s one less floor…”

The place Gu Qinghan was currently in was the top floor of a three-tiered viewing platform.

The other people on this floor all wore exquisite masks, clearly those who had participated in the previous auction.

Upon seeing Gu Qinghan appear, several people immediately walked over.

One of them, judging by his clothes, was Piao Jun.

The other few clearly knew each other, and the person leading them had a pair of striking peach blossom eyes.

This was Chu Tian.

The two parties arrived at Gu Qinghan’s side almost one after another, then sized each other up.

“Gu Qinghan, do you know this person?”

Chu Tian pointed at Piao Jun, with clear confusion in his voice.

Piao Jun looked at Gu Qinghan, then at Chu Tian and the others, chuckled awkwardly, and said:

“Hahahahaha, so we’re all on the same side, a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding!”

Gu Qinghan also told Chu Tian about asking Piao Jun to help raise the bidding price; the latter was silent for two seconds before shaking his head helplessly.

He had bid on some of both types of Professional scrolls; the extra Demonic Crystals spent were not too much, but not too little either.

But since Gu Qinghan had appeared, he could only accept the loss.

Chu Tian looked at Gu Qinghan and said very seriously:

“There are many more people at this auction than last time, I think this so-called game will definitely be even more perverse.”

For newcomers, they might think this game is just for fun.

But for those who have experienced it once, everyone knows that this game is actually playing with their lives.

Gu Qinghan looked at the few people behind Chu Tian; if he wasn't mistaken, these were the other Professionals from the Military.

“Danger is certain. In the current world, there should be no completely safe place anymore.

If you have something to say, just say it directly.

He’s not an outsider, at most he’s just a scoundrel.”

Seeing Chu Tian constantly glancing obscurely at Piao Jun, Gu Qinghan couldn't help but expose his intention.

Piao Jun visibly stiffened, just about to react, when he heard Chu Tian say:

“Actually, besides wanting to cooperate with you, I also came here to invite you to Shangjing Base sometime soon.

You can rest assured, it’s not a trap, but someone wants to meet you.”

Gu Qinghan refused without thinking:

“No, I’m unfamiliar with the place.

To try and trick me into going with just one sentence, who knows if someone will capture me and slice me up for research once I’m there.”

Originally, Gu Qinghan was just joking, but Chu Tian was stunned, staring at Gu Qinghan and asking:

“How did you know we are conducting research?”

“Huh?”

This time, it was Gu Qinghan’s turn to be dumbfounded.

All the current powers absolutely could not be explained by science.

So what kind of research was Chu Tian talking about?

Seeing Gu Qinghan’s reaction, Chu Tian immediately realized he had misunderstood.

However, he had no intention of concealing anything, organized his words, and said:

“Actually, it might be better to tell you directly: our Shangjing Military has been researching this global game for a long time.

Although the current world can no longer be explained by science, we have still discovered some patterns through massive collection and observation.

Recently, some Researchers have made some preliminary progress.

We even discovered a power that can make all Professionals much stronger.”

When Gu Qinghan heard this, a wave of admiration surged in his heart.

He was about to praise the monstrous talent of those Researchers when his expression suddenly changed.

Because Chu Tian’s next sentence had already reached his ears:

“This power was discovered within the bodies of those Contractors and even the descending demons.

Therefore, we call it…”

“Demonic Power.”