179: Chapter 178 Being Followed
Lin Fan didn't bid on the next two finale items.
The second was a single-use armor tool—the fire cloud pearl.
It was crimson all over, the size of an egg, with fine flame patterns on its surface; just looking at it, one could feel a scorching aura.
"fire cloud pearl, a single-use armor tool."
Shen Man's voice took on a hint of solemnity.
"Upon detonation, it can slay those in the Armor Sovereign realm. Even those in the Armor Saint realm would be heavily injured if they were caught off guard."
"Starting price, fifty million. Each bid increase must be no less than five million."
As soon as she finished speaking, someone in a second-floor booth raised their placard.
"Fifty-five million."
"Sixty million."
"Sixty-five million."
The price shot up like a rocket.
Ultimately, the fire cloud pearl was sold to the central booth on the second floor for the astronomical price of two hundred million.
Only then did Lin Fan realize that President Ye Wenyuan had truly made a massive sacrifice when he gave him the nine heavens thunder orb.
The final finale item was a King Spirit rank Armor Spirit egg.
The eggshell was pale gold with fine silver patterns on the surface, and spiritual light shimmered upon it.
Everyone stared at the egg with burning eyes.
"A King Spirit rank Armor Spirit egg. The species is the Vajra Mount Tai Ant."
Shen Man's voice enunciated every word, "Starting price, one hundred million. Each bid increase must be no less than ten million."
Boom!
The venue erupted into a frenzy.
"One hundred and fifteen million!"
"One hundred and thirty million!"
"One hundred and fifty million!"
"Two hundred million!"
...
Even the big shots on the second floor, who had remained silent, couldn't sit still anymore and began to bid one after another.
Lin Fan leaned back in his chair, looking at the pale gold egg, his left eye warming slightly.
[Species]: Vajra Mount Tai Ant
[Aptitude]: low-grade imperial spirit (Limit: Low-grade Saint Spirit)
[Attribute]: Earth
[Status]: Healthy, awaiting hatching.
[Suitable Armorization Part]: Hands
[Evaluation]: A low-grade imperial spirit Armor Spirit with decent potential. Known for extreme strength and defense, suitable for breakthrough-type Armor Masters.
After reading, Lin Fan withdrew his gaze, his face showing no emotion.
low-grade imperial spirit.
Many people spend their entire lives without even touching the edge of a King Spirit rank; an Imperial Spirit Rank Armor Spirit egg appearing at a black market auction was enough to drive everyone present insane.
But he wasn't interested.
It wasn't arrogance; it was simply that the things he already held were too good.
Holding five Armor Spirits with infinite potential, looking at this Vajra Mount Tai Ant was like someone used to driving supercars looking at a heavy truck—no matter how expensive it was, it wasn't his style.
"Two hundred and fifty million!"
"Three hundred million!"
"Three hundred and fifty million!"
The bidding continued, and the price had already surpassed three hundred million.
The people in the second-floor booths were raising the price like crazy, each bid causing a wave of sharp gasps to echo through the venue.
Lin Fan picked up the water glass on the table, took a sip, and quietly watched the farce.
"Four hundred million!"
"Four hundred and fifty million!"
...
"One billion!"
The price finally stopped at one billion.
The gavel fell, and Shen Man's voice carried a hint of excitement.
"One billion, sold! Congratulations to our VIP on the second floor!"
Thunderous applause filled the hall, but Lin Fan did not clap.
Leaning back in his chair, a thought suddenly occurred to him.
If even a low-grade imperial spirit Vajra Mount Tai Ant could sell for the astronomical price of one billion, then how much would Xiao Zhuang, Tun Tun, or Tongtong be worth if he brought any one of them out?
Lin Fan shook his head, shaking these messy thoughts out of his mind.
The gavel fell, and the entire auction was declared over.
Shen Man stood on the stage, smiling and bowing to the audience.
"Thank you all for participating tonight. VIPs who have won items, please proceed backstage to complete the handover. For those who didn't, we welcome you back next time."
Lin Fan stood up and stretched his somewhat stiff neck.
"Let's go pay."
The two followed the crowd toward the backstage. While passing through the aisle, Lin Fan felt those two familiar gazes fall upon him once more.
He tilted his head slightly, catching a glimpse of the two people wearing ghost masks standing by a pillar not far away, their eyes behind the masks staring straight at him.
Lin Fan withdrew his gaze without stopping his pace.
There were many people backstage, and it took over ten minutes of queuing before it was Lin Fan's turn.
Lin Fan paid the money, took the two jade boxes, and opened them to check.
They were both the real deal.
He carefully put the two jade boxes away.
"Let's go."
The two came out from the backstage, crossed the now-empty hall, and headed toward the exit.
They passed through the mine tunnel and pushed open the rusted iron door, the night wind blowing against their faces.
Outside, the sky was pitch black, with only a bright, clear moon shining brilliantly.
Xu Ziyan pulled out his car keys and pressed a button; the off-road vehicle's lights flashed twice, looking particularly prominent in the darkness.
Lin Fan was in no hurry to get in the car.
He stood at the entrance, his left eye glowing slightly as his gaze calmly swept over the surroundings.
"Lin Fan, get in," Xu Ziyan said, having already opened the driver's side door.
Lin Fan didn't move; his gaze was fixed on the pitch-black darkness in the distance.
There was someone.
And more than one.
Lin Fan withdrew his gaze and expressionlessly pulled open the car door, sitting in the passenger seat.
"Once we get off this road, head east."
Xu Ziyan started the car and asked casually, "East? Isn't that a detour?"
"Just drive as I said."
Xu Ziyan sensed that something was wrong with Lin Fan's tone, so he didn't ask further and nodded.
The car roared as it sped out, driving back along the dirt road they had come from.
Lin Fan watched the darkness behind them through the rearview mirror.
Before the car had even traveled a kilometer, two points of light appeared behind them.
Headlights.
"As expected," Lin Fan muttered under his breath.
Xu Ziyan glanced at the rearview mirror, his expression changing slightly. "Is someone following us?"
"Yeah. Don't panic, just drive normally."
Xu Ziyan's grip on the steering wheel tightened, and he swallowed hard.
The road ahead grew narrower, and the wild grass on both sides grew taller.
This road was the only path leading to the mine; both sides were wasteland without any turnoffs.
Lin Fan glanced at the navigation; there was a fork three kilometers ahead that led to the provincial highway to the east.
"Turn right at the fork ahead."
Following the instructions, Xu Ziyan turned the steering wheel sharply at the fork, and the car veered into an even narrower road.
The headlights behind them followed the turn.
Xu Ziyan's heart raced. "They're still following."
Lin Fan didn't look back; his left eye was fixed on the rearview mirror, estimating the distance between the two vehicles.
About two hundred meters.
Not too close, but not too far.
"Speed up."
Xu Ziyan floored the accelerator, and the off-road vehicle roared forward.
The car behind also accelerated, tailing them closely.
The two cars, one after the other, sped across the pitch-black wilderness.
Lin Fan glanced at the navigation; they were less than ten kilometers away from Qingshi Town.
At their current speed, they would enter the town's perimeter in five or six minutes.
Once they entered the town, the other party wouldn't dare to act recklessly.
The Federation Security Bureau was no joke.
The other party clearly understood this as well.
Because in the next moment, the roof of the black off-road vehicle behind them suddenly opened, and a person leaned out halfway.
Under the moonlight, that ghost mask reflected a deathly pale light.
Lin Fan's pupils constricted sharply.