13: Technology Auction

"Yueyue, you're awake! Come take a look. These are the seeds I bought—every kind you can imagine. These are fruits, these are vegetables, and these... these are grains. When the opportunity arises in the future, we can plant them. In the Apocalypse, these will be more precious than gold."

Li Shilan pulled Ai Yue over, happily introducing them to her.

"Mom, you're so thoughtful. You really are as beautiful as you are meticulous..." Ai Yue kissed her mother on the cheek and praised her with a smile.

Li Shilan was delighted by Ai Yue's flattery and declared on the spot that she would make her favorite deep-fried beef meatballs for dinner.

Ai Guosheng looked at Li Shilan with a face full of resentment. He was the one who accompanied her to buy all those seeds until his legs felt like lead, yet his dear wife hadn't spared him a single word of concern.

Ai Yue had only given her one compliment, and she was already this happy.

It wasn't fair.

Ai Guosheng felt very pitiful in his heart and silently begged for some comfort.

However, Li Shilan didn't understand the meaning in his eyes at all.

After dinner, Ai Yue and her father went out to continue stockpiling fuel. In one night, they secured five tons of gasoline and eight tons of diesel.

As the horizon began to pale with the first light of dawn, more and more pedestrians appeared on the streets.

Ai Yue returned home to wash up and eat breakfast, then flew to City A without a moment's rest. She only felt refreshed after sleeping for three hours on the plane.

After getting off the plane, Ai Yue rented a logistics warehouse near the airport.

It was originally difficult to rent, but Ai Yue gave the Real Estate Agent an extra ten thousand in commission for a mere three-day lease.

The Real Estate Agent hesitated for a long time before privately renting it to Ai Yue for three days for the sake of the money, without even drawing up a contract. This suited her perfectly, as she didn't want to leave any identity information behind.

Afterward, she hailed a taxi and headed straight for the Technology Auction.

The Technology Auction wasn't open to just anyone; one had to possess one hundred million in liquid assets to enter.

Ai Yue still had over two hundred million in cash, so she was naturally qualified to enter.

The Technology Auction was different from other auctions.

As soon as Ai Yue entered, she thought she had stepped into a science and technology exhibition hall. There were rows of exhibition rooms and display cabinets, a dazzling array of items, all protected by bulletproof glass covers.

There were no auctioneers and no staff members to introduce the items. Beneath each exhibit was a description and a minimum bid.

If you were interested in an exhibit, you simply scanned the QR code below to join a mini-program and enter an anonymous bid. The bids scrolled in real-time, and the highest bidder won.

Ai Yue found it very novel and wondered who had come up with this method. It protected the guests' privacy very well, and she was quite satisfied. This way, no matter what price she bid, it wouldn't attract the attention of others. Excellent!

Ai Yue casually walked into an exhibition hall named 'Future.'

She felt as if she had traveled into a future sci-fi world.

Ai Yue looked up some of the products online and found they were clearly still in the conceptual stage with no physical existence. But what was going on here? Why were physical versions already appearing here to be auctioned?

Ai Yue's worldview was being overturned!

Looking at these pieces of black technology, she thought to herself that these unannounced physical objects were enough to prove that the truth of the world and the real technological resources were held in the hands of the top tier of humanity. Ordinary people simply couldn't touch them, and the information known to the outside world was only what they wanted people to know.

Ai Yue stood before the 'Ring Earphone' display, something that only existed in sci-fi movies. According to the description, it was a hands-free, earphone-less device where you could answer calls just by placing your finger near your ear.

There were also wearable glasses that didn't require an internet connection. Once worn, they allowed for online communication and could switch between various virtual scenes. This was definitely black technology from a sci-fi movie; she hadn't expected to see it in reality.

Ai Yue couldn't stop gasping in amazement. She looked at the minimum bid—wow, 5.07 million!

Ai Yue clutched her startled little heart and quickly left the display. No wonder one needed a hundred million in cash just to enter; without some serious wealth, one really couldn't afford this.

Besides, this wasn't what she needed.

There were many products in the auction that should only exist in science fiction novels, such as quantum invisibility cloaks, maglev cars, and bionic organs like artificial eyes.

However, these were expensive to produce, with any single item costing millions or even tens of millions.

Although Ai Yue was very tempted, the anxiety and heartache she felt at the thought of spending money successfully reined in her desire to buy.

Leaving the 'Future' hall, she stepped into the 'Modern' hall.

Mhm, this was the correct way to experience the Technology Auction.

Micro-robots, spy drones, the latest self-driving cars, space off-road vehicles, Yamaha motorcycles, Renaults, TF-Xs, and so on.

Most importantly, the vehicles suitable for survival in the Apocalypse and the escape pods she had always wanted were all here—all the latest models that hadn't been released to the public.

Ai Yue struggled to choose two vehicles from the many options.

One was the toughest car in the world—the marauder, known as the 'most unstoppable vehicle in the world.'

This off-road vehicle was massive, weighing 15 tons and standing nearly as tall as a one-story building. With an engine producing up to 1000NM of torque, the marauder possessed sheer brute force and could easily handle any obstacle, crushing anything in its path.

Though it looked bulky, it was incredibly sturdy and could remain unscathed even in a minefield.

The other was the kaibaihe battle shield. Although it lacked aesthetic appeal and had a somewhat rugged appearance...

It was known as the safest and most luxurious armored vehicle in the world, prioritizing safety above all else. Its greatest advantage was that the entire vehicle was equipped with a safety armor system and bulletproof glass, and it possessed Extreme Speed.

The minimum bid for both vehicles was 8 million. Ai Yue steeled her heart and bid 10 million for each, praying silently that no one would compete with her.

However, Ai Yue wasn't too worried. She still had over two hundred million in domestic currency; she could win even if she had to throw money at the problem.

The screen scrolled rapidly.

It was only then that Ai Yue truly felt that rich people really didn't treat money like money; they were such spendthrifts. In the blink of an eye, Ai Yue's bid was overturned by someone offering 20 million.

It had doubled her bid instantly. Before Ai Yue could even react, the numbers scrolled again: 30 million.

Ai Yue felt a bit dizzy. Who was it? Were they crazy? 30 million for one marauder? That money could buy three of them.

Despite her complaints, Ai Yue's hands didn't stop. She directly entered 50 million and submitted!

After a long time, the number didn't change. Humph! You dare to see who's more reckless than me? I'll crush you!

Ai Yue felt much better!

As for the other car, once she bid 30 million, no one else competed with her.

At that moment, in a private box upstairs, a delinquent youth with pink hair snatched a cup from his side and smashed it hard at the feet of a middle-aged man, shouting at him, "Uncle Li, go find out who is crossing me! To think they'd bid such a high price to compete with me. Once you find out who it is, see if I don't rip their hands off!"

Steward Li crossed his hands over his stomach and bowed slightly, saying calmly, "Young Master, you've forgotten that this is domestic soil, not overseas. We have no right to investigate the auction information of the guests here. Furthermore, this Technology Auction is organized by the Gu Clan. The Master said that you are not to offend the Gu Clan again."

As soon as the pink-haired youth heard the name 'Gu Clan,' he instantly wilted.

The Gu Clan was the world's number one family, having endured for over a thousand years with a foundation comparable to that of a nation.

Back in America, when he had caused trouble at a Gu Clan venue, he was dragged straight into a dark room and had an arm broken. His father hadn't sought revenge for him; instead, he had apologized to the Gu Clan with servile humility.

He understood then that the Gu Clan was a colossus, an existence he couldn't afford to offend. Although his own family wasn't some minor household, compared to the Gu Clan, the difference wasn't just a little bit.

A moment later, the pink-haired youth spoke unwillingly, "So my marauder is just going to be snatched away like that?"