121: Price cliff

"Activate Plan B." Chen Feng's voice traveled through the encrypted channel, turning into a cold current that was precisely injected into the ear canals of the three Agents.

"Yes, Boss."

"Received."

"Understood."

Three responses came from three different corners of the venue.

Amidst the chaotic bidding, the thin, small merchant from the Vega System, who had remained silent until now, suddenly raised his paddle.

"1.3 million."

His voice wasn't loud, yet it was like a stone precisely cast into boiling water, instantly cooling down some of the fanatical followers.

Immediately after, another Agent playing the role of an interstellar nouveau riche hesitated slightly before shaking his head exaggeratedly and putting down his paddle, muttering in a volume everyone could hear: "Crazy, they're all crazy..."

Meanwhile, the four-armed clan artisan Chen Feng had initially deployed slipped back into the crowd, as if that earlier bid of 200,000 had been nothing but an illusion.

The war of attrition had begun.

Using three seemingly unrelated buyers with insufficient financial strength to take turns wearing down the patience and capital of their main rivals, making them believe they were fighting a group of disorganized stragglers.

"Interesting."

Outside the venue, inside a mobile surveillance vehicle parked in the shadows, Shadow Chaser-J watched the three newly marked light spots on the screen, a playful curve touching the corner of his mouth.

"Commander," an analyst immediately reported, "the bidding logic of these three new targets is highly similar; there's suspicion of coordination. However, their funding sources, registered star systems, transaction histories... there's absolutely no overlap. Our models cannot determine if they are the same person."

"Then there's no need to determine it," J's voice was calm. "List them all as a 'Coordinated Suspect Group' and raise their threat level to 'High'."

"Yes!"

Inside the auction hall, under Chen Feng's subtle manipulation, the price was slowly and steadily pushed higher. Several impatient ordinary tycoons had already admitted defeat.

Just then, that fanatic from the Gene Purification Cult stood up once again.

He ignored the current price of "2.5 million" announced by the auctioneer.

In a tone bordering on a chant, he shouted loudly: "3,007,499!"

A bizarre, irregular number.

The hall broke into an uproar.

"Silence!" One of the six-armed auctioneer's hands pressed down gently, but his other hands were operating the control console at high speed, clearly pleased with this kind of unexpected price stimulation.

"What is this guy doing?" an Agent's inquiry came through Chen Feng's channel.

"Ignore him," Chen Feng's voice was devoid of any ripple. "Maintain our rhythm."

But he knew in his heart that the opponent was using mental pollution. That illogical number was a sacred code of his cult; he was using this method to apply psychological pressure to all the "heretic" bidders.

"3.1 million." Chen Feng's Agent, the four-armed artisan, raised his paddle again upon instruction.

The fanatic's gaze fixed on him like a venomous snake, a twisted smile appearing on his face.

"3,181,333!" Another strange number.

"3.2 million."

"3,330,999!"

The tug-of-war continued in a bizarre atmosphere. Every time the fanatic bid, it was like he was reciting a passage of blasphemous scripture, making the surrounding guests feel uneasy.

Finally, as the price climbed toward the 5 million mark, the immense psychological pressure caused the previously steady four-armed clan artisan to show a flaw of a ten-thousandth of a second during his bid.

"Fi... 5.1 million."

A slight stutter.

But it was enough.

A contemptuous smile, like that of a hunter who has caught his prey, instantly bloomed on the fanatic's face. He raised his paddle, his voice booming like a bell: "6 million!"

He knew he had found the opponent's weakness.

"Mark the one who stuttered."

Inside the mobile surveillance vehicle, J issued the command almost at the same time, his eyes as sharp as an eagle's.

"His psychological defenses are weak; he's the breakthrough point. Dig deep into everything about him! All social connections, all financial transactions, all communication records! Now!"

"Yes, Commander!"

Inside the venue, the price cliff had appeared before Chen Feng.

The fanatic's madness, along with another mysterious buyer who had been unhurriedly following the bids, were like two mountains pushing the price to a height Chen Feng could not reach.

"98 million."

"99 million."

"100 million."

When the fanatic shouted the number "100 million," Chen Feng's three Agents had all received the "hold" instruction and helplessly put down their paddles.

The focus of the entire room instantly converged on that fanatic and the last hooded mysterious buyer who was still persisting.

"Give up?"

Reflected in Chen Feng's pupils were the jumping numbers on the surveillance screen and, on another screen, the blood-red warning of depleted funds sent by Su Li.

In his ears, Raven's mockery seemed to ring out again. Before his eyes, Eve's empty face, like an exquisite doll with all its spirit drained away, reappeared.

Locked within those eyes was the future of Hanhai Trade.

Giving up meant losing this entire gamble, meaning Eve would be forever trapped in that cage of logic.

Not giving up... meant he had to activate that doomsday contingency plan capable of dragging everyone into the abyss.

Using the coordinates of home to gamble for a woman's freedom.

Was it worth it?

The cold logic of a business genius and the humanity from the depths of a soul from Earth engaged in a celestial battle within his mind.

"130 million credit points! This gentleman from the Cult bids 130 million!" The auctioneer's voice was full of passion. "Are there any higher bids? No one else?"

"130 million, going once!"

The countdown was like a heavy hammer, slamming hard against Chen Feng's heart.

He closed his eyes.

Took a deep breath.

Then, through the encrypted communicator, he sent a one-word command to the woman waiting anxiously for his final instruction on Ashen Earth Star, billions of miles away.

"Prepare."