59: The best mutant thunder dragon fish that everyone is fighting for

During this time, many people were discussing the price, and some were calling people outside the venue to ask about something.

Chen Xiangbei stepped forward and said to everyone,

"Please note, this top-grade mutated Rainbow Snakehead is a newly discovered species, so I have decided that the starting bid will be 1000 yuan, and each subsequent bid must not be less than 1000 yuan."

"Now, the auction officially begins. Those who are interested, please raise your paddles and place your bids!"

"I bid 2000!"

"I bid 3000."

"I bid 6000."

...

"I bid 12,000."

Everyone present bid one after another, their voices rising and falling, fast but orderly. Chen Xiangbei repeated the previous bid one by one.

From the initial two thousand, it went up to twenty thousand, and it was still increasing. The early bidders were looking for a bargain; the truly capable people had not yet made their moves.

Those who knew the market had already determined the value of this top-grade Rainbow Snakehead. There was no need to haggle with these people; they were just waiting for the final stage to make their move and secure it.

Before long, the most recent bid reached 46,000 yuan. Those who had been hoping for a bargain were now sitting quietly, no longer participating.

"I bid 47,000."

"I bid 48,000."

"I bid 50,000!"

After another round of intense bidding, the price had exceeded 50,000, and many people were still bidding.

"Shanhai Ornamental Fish Club bids 60,000 yuan."

"Baiyun Lake Breeding Center bids 62,000 yuan."

"Fuyun Breeding Base bids 65,000 yuan."

"These institutions have finally made their move. It seems they thought the progress was too slow and wanted to speed things up."

"Maybe they also want to get a bargain?"

"It's not impossible. Whichever breeding base manages to acquire it, they might be able to cultivate a new species of Rainbow Snakehead. Then making money would be as easy as picking it up."

"They make money by doing this, so they definitely want to get their hands on this top-grade one. Even if they can't cultivate a new species, using it as a showcase is a marketing strategy."

The people present were discussing animatedly.

"Linhai Ornamental Fish Breeding Center bids 70,000 yuan."

"Baiyun Lake Breeding Center bids 75,000 yuan."

...

The competition on site was very fierce; almost as soon as one person finished bidding, the next would immediately raise their paddle and increase the price.

After more than ten rounds of bidding, Shanhai Ornamental Fish Club currently had the highest bid at 150,000.

At this point, only a few large institutions were still bidding; others were watching silently.

Just as the large institutions were locked in a fierce battle, someone holding a phone, listening to the call while raising their paddle, bid: "I bid 160,000."

The staff from these institutions all looked at him. From everyone's expressions, it was clear that none of them knew him; he was likely bidding on someone else's behalf.

However, they did not give up and continued to match the price.

"Baiyun Lake Breeding Center bids 180,000."

"Fuyun Breeding Base bids 188,000 yuan."

After a few rounds of confrontation, these institutions were still not decisive enough.

Ultimately, the person bidding on behalf of someone else won it with a price of 236,000 yuan.

"Congratulations to this fish friend for successfully bidding on this mutated Seven-Colored Snakehead. Please come over here to pay and collect your item."

"Thank you again everyone for coming. Today's exhibition and sale ends here. I wish you all a pleasant life!"

Chen Xiangbei thanked everyone, then came over to Chen Wen to complete the transaction with the fish friend who won the final bid.

It was a cash-on-delivery transaction. After receiving the payment, Chen Xiangbei carefully took the Rainbow Snakehead out of the fish tank, placed it in an empty fish tank, and handed it over to him.

Only after everything was settled did he invite Xia Weicheng and the others to go eat together.

"Brother Xia, let's go grab a meal. My treat. You've helped us so much; I must thank you properly."

"Alright, wait for me for a moment. I'll arrange the follow-up matters and then come over," Xia Weicheng said readily.

Chen Wen and the others had nothing else to do, so they gathered together, chatting and joking while waiting for Xia Weicheng.

Just then, a reporter and a photographer carrying a camera walked towards them.

Chen Xiangbei quietly stepped back a few paces and stood behind Chen Wen.

The reporter approached and spoke first: "Hello, I am a reporter from Linhai City News Channel. We'd like to do an interview about the Baiyun Lake Water Monster. Would it be convenient for a few of you?"

Chen Wen answered generously: "Absolutely. You can ask me anything; my friends here are not very convenient to be on camera."

"Okay, then let's begin."

After speaking, he signaled the photographer to turn on the camera, adjust the angle, and start recording.

Chen Xiangbei and the others stepped out of the camera's range and watched from the side.

"May I ask when you first discovered the Baiyun Lake Water Monster?" the reporter asked.

"I can't quite remember, but it was probably around 10 PM last night when we saw it appear near our boat."

"I saw in the video that someone was holding a fishing rod and trying to catch it, is that right?"

"Yes, after we discovered it, we immediately went back to get our fishing rods, wanting to catch it. Unfortunately, it was too big, and it got away," Chen Wen replied with regret.

"Then did you get a clear look at what it looked like?"

"No."

...

Ten minutes later, the interview concluded. Xia Weicheng had already arranged the relevant matters and joined them.

After saying goodbye to the reporters, the group drove to a local restaurant and had a simple meal.

During the meal, they talked a lot, mostly about the Water Monster.

Xia Weicheng knew relatively more. According to him, the Linhai City Fisheries Department had formed an investigation team to determine the true identity of the "Water Monster."

At the same time, the investigation team was preparing to invite fishing experts from across society to try and catch this giant creature together.

The Linhai City Fisheries Department was also under immense pressure because the "Water Monster" incident was causing a sensation online.

If not handled properly, many people would flock to Baiyun Lake, causing serious damage to the local ecosystem.

Therefore, they wanted to clarify the identity of this giant creature as much as possible before people arrived, which could reduce the pressure on Baiyun Lake's capacity.

Meanwhile, the tourism department was preparing to add viewing areas and fishing spots within the Baiyun Lake area to alleviate the pressure from the expected increase in tourists.

Chen Xiangbei and the others smiled sheepishly upon hearing this news.

They hadn't expected that a video they casually posted, simply wanting to show off, could have such a significant impact.

Seeing their somewhat regretful expressions, Xia Weicheng smiled and said,

"Don't look like that. This is a good thing. It brings more foot traffic to Linhai City, and the resulting economic income is immeasurable."

"The department leaders aren't fools. If they handle this windfall properly, Linhai City's fiscal revenue will increase significantly. They'll be too busy being grateful to feel otherwise."

The group listened and felt that was true. They had only thought about causing trouble for the authorities but hadn't considered the positive side.