67: Chapter 67 Auction House

Zhang Yu subconsciously tightened her grip on Song Yang's arm.

The woman before her had been a dazzling presence on the screen not long ago, yet now she had fallen into such a state.

This huge contrast and cruel reality struck hard at the values she had not yet completely smoothed over by the apocalypse.

The auctioneer was very satisfied with the crowd's reaction. He cleared his throat, pointed at Yang Mi, and said:

"You bosses all have sharp eyes! I probably don't need to introduce this one, do I? Tsk tsk, a celebrity! Who could have imagined it?"

"Speaking of which, it's just bad luck. When the apocalypse came, the big star Yang Mi was filming nearby, and she ended up being betrayed by her manager and sent straight to us."

"Gentlemen, this is a big star you could only see on TV or in movies before! Now, she's right here! A living, breathing female celebrity for you to do whatever you want with!"

"Starting bid: 5,000 units of food! It can be compressed biscuits, canned goods, clean water, or equivalent medicine and ammunition! The highest bidder wins! Let's begin!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a burly man with a face full of flesh sitting in the front row shouted in a rough voice:

"I bid 5,000! I've long wanted to taste what a female celebrity is like, to see how she differs from the women we usually play with!"

A sinister voice came from another corner:

"Tsk, at that age, is she still worth 5,000? No matter how well maintained that place is, it must be loose. 5,000 units of food is enough to feed my men for several months. Buying an old woman? Not worth it."

"Whether it's worth it or not isn't up to you!"

The burly man glared over immediately, "I'm happy to!"

"5,500!"

Another voice rang out, coming from a tall, thin man.

"6,000!"

"6,300!"

Bids rose one after another, and the price climbed rapidly.

A star once out of reach had now become a plaything that could be traded for food and water. This subversion of status was enough to give many people who had been suppressed for a long time in the apocalypse an inexplicable thrill.

When the price reached 7,000 units of supplies, no one continued to bid except for the burly man.

The auctioneer brought his hammer down:

"7,000! Sold! Congratulations to this boss for acquiring one female celebrity."

Two men acting as guards expressionlessly untied the ropes on Yang Mi's feet and roughly pushed her toward the burly man who had won her.

The burly man stood up impatiently, grabbed Yang Mi's arm, and shoved his rough hand under her skirt, muttering:

"Let me have a good feel to see what exactly makes a big star different from a regular woman."

Afterward, the auctioneer took something wrapped in cloth from someone beside him and said with a smile:

"Gentlemen, don't be impatient, the good stuff is still to come!"

He carefully uncovered the cloth, revealing a black pistol, with a small row of gleaming yellow bullets neatly arranged next to it.

"Look at what this is!"

The auctioneer picked up the pistol and showed it to everyone.

"A police pistol! Ninety percent new! It even comes with ten bullets! Stripped right off a corpse! Absolutely top-tier goods!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the room instantly went quiet.

Everyone's gaze was fixed firmly on the pistol, as if drawn by a magnet.

A gun!

In this apocalypse where order had collapsed and danger lurked everywhere, what a gun that could fire bullets meant was self-evident.

It was power, it was a sense of security, it was the leverage to decide others' fates and to protect one's own life!

"This thing can kill, and it can save lives!"

The auctioneer was very satisfied with this effect and raised his voice:

"With it, whether you're going out to scavenge for supplies or protecting your own territory, you'll have a different level of confidence! Starting bid is also 7,000 units of food! Or equivalent medicine and ammunition!"

"7,500!"

"8,000!"

"8,300!"

"9,000!"

Bids rang out one after another again. Food was certainly important, but the deterrence and sense of security brought by a weapon clearly made people even more frantic.

"10,000!"

The price quickly broke into five digits.

The price had soared to 10,000 units of food, and the bidding voices had noticeably thinned out, with only two or three people still hesitating to follow up.

Zhang Yu leaned close to Song Yang, lowered her voice, and spoke almost directly into his ear:

"Song Yang, do we have enough food? I want to get that gun. I'm a very good shot."

Song Yang tilted his head to look at her and nodded.

"20,000!"

In an instant, all the noise vanished.

The auctioneer's movement with the hammer froze.

Everyone's gaze shifted instantly, focusing collectively on the source of the voice.

The young man sitting in the corner, Song Yang.

Surprise, confusion, scrutiny.

Someone gasped.

"Who is this kid? Where did he come from?"

"20,000, did I hear that right? Can he actually pay that?"

Many people present were regulars here and knew a thing or two about each other's financial standings.

A gun was indeed tempting, but 20,000 units of food was not a small amount; it was enough to sustain a small team for a long time.

This unfamiliar young man had blurted out such a staggering number. On what grounds?

The auctioneer was the first to react, his smile becoming even brighter:

"20,000 once! This boss has great courage."

He looked around and raised his voice:

"Is there any higher bid? If you miss this chance, you won't get it again!"

Just as he was about to bring the hammer down and announce that the gun belonged to Song Yang, a voice came from the very last row.

"25,000."

The voice wasn't loud, but it was like a stone thrown into water that had just calmed.

Splash—

Everyone's gaze shifted again, looking in unison toward the back corner.

A man was sitting there. His specific features were unclear, but one could vaguely see a ferocious black dragon tattoo coiled around his neck under his open collar, extending down to his collarbone.

The auctioneer's eyes lit up, even brighter than when he heard 20,000 earlier.

He immediately turned to Song Yang, smiling cordially:

"This boss has bid 25,000! Will you increase your bid?"

Song Yang shook his head.

"No, I won't."

The auctioneer was stunned for a moment but immediately regained his professional smile. He raised his hammer high and brought it down heavily!

"25,000! Sold! Congratulations to this boss!"

He turned to the tattooed man, "According to the rules, you can take the item once the auction is over and you have paid the supplies in full."

Zhang Yu finally couldn't help it and leaned into Song Yang's ear:

"Is there not enough food?"

Song Yang replied in a low voice as well:

"Who said that coming here means you have to pay money to buy things?"

Zhang Yu was stunned upon hearing this, not understanding what it meant.

Soon, the third auction item began to be auctioned.

Two buxom blonde girls wearing bikinis were pushed onto the stage.

Their hands and feet were also tied with thick ropes, and their mouths were gagged.

"Gentlemen, time to change things up!"

The auctioneer raised his voice, "A pair of twin sisters from abroad! Blonde hair and blue eyes! Absolutely original goods! Their bodies are very sturdy, excellent foreign mares, wet and good at the job!"

He patted one of the women's buttocks, drawing a burst of low, jeering laughter.

"You wouldn't be able to play with goods like this before the apocalypse without spending a lot of money. Starting bid, 800 units of food!"

"900!"

"950!"

"1,000!"

The bids were sporadic, nowhere near as frantic as before.

Clearly, for most people, two women who couldn't provide combat power were far less valuable than a gun, or even the gimmick of having the "celebrity" aura that Yang Mi had.

In the end, the price stopped at 1,500 units of food.