Meizhou itself was a small city, not particularly significant along the southeastern coast. However, with a railway passing nearby, it held some importance. After the doomsday descended, trains rarely ran, primarily due to insufficient energy. Although not coal-fired, the electricity required was largely generated by thermal power plants.
Yet, by today's standards, Meizhou had become bustling. Numerous outsiders were present, their accents revealing origins from the Jianghuai region, Xiangxi, and even the north. The most noticeable impact of this influx was on the hotel management staff.
Since opening, hotels had never seen so many room bookings. Many guests were generous with their spending, clearly not ordinary individuals.
In a doomsday scenario, navigating business safely required considerable social acumen. Even hotel attendants possessed keen observation skills. From their perspective, everyone present was extraordinary. Many were of noble status, yet wore masks and were accompanied by numerous bodyguards, obviously wishing to remain unrecognized.
"Boss, why is Meizhou so lively today?" a curious attendant asked the hotel owner.
The owner smiled proudly and replied, "It's because I have sources of information. If you asked anyone else, you wouldn't get an answer."
Leaning in, the owner whispered, "Let me tell you, there's an auction in Meizhou tonight. Good items will be up for bid. Understand?"
The young attendant still didn't grasp the situation and asked, "What kind of good things could attract so many people? Isn't the city lord afraid of them being stolen?"
"Hmph, stolen?" The owner's face showed disdain. He immediately retorted, "Go ask around, who dares to steal from Meizhou? We have over a dozen ability users, sufficient population, and grain. Who would dare to steal?"
The attendant nodded, half-understanding, surprised by Meizhou's apparent strength.
In reality, the owner knew that it wasn't that no one dared to steal from Meizhou. It was that organizations stronger than the Qinghong Gang wouldn't bother, while weaker ones were too afraid of retaliation, especially with support from Yuzhou and Yangzhou. Stealing from Meizhou could easily provoke a large group of ability users. Who would risk angering such forces?
However, after hearing the owner's words, the attendant became even more curious. He quickly asked, "So what exactly are these good things at the auction that are attracting so many people? I see many with bodyguards."
A few years ago, bodyguards could be hired with money. Even minor celebrities could have dozens of them. Logically, the number of bodyguards should have increased in the doomsday era. But in reality, the opposite was true; fewer people could afford bodyguards.
This change was quite normal. Bodyguards before the doomsday essentially performed security duties, maintaining order and keeping fans at bay, which was not difficult. Anyone physically capable could be one. However, in the doomsday, being a bodyguard meant genuinely risking one's life to protect someone, instantly disqualifying a large portion of unqualified so-called bodyguards.
Consequently, in the doomsday era, those with bodyguards were undoubtedly extraordinary individuals. Ordinary people lacked the means to hire them. As for the so-called celebrities before the doomsday, they were now merely ordinary people. Without the backing of capital, they had fallen hard.
"What good things? Well, if I knew, I wouldn't be running a hotel. Don't ask what you shouldn't. Ignorance is bliss; knowing too much can lead to a fatal end," the owner shrugged, indicating he didn't know. He then went to attend to other guests.
A former auditorium in Meizhou had been converted into an auction venue, guarded by soldiers. These soldiers were recruited by Wang Ao Ye, and their firearms were self-made, as obtaining standard-issue equipment was not easy. However, no one dared to underestimate them. These soldiers exuded a strong killing aura, clearly having experienced many battles. Angering them meant they would truly kill.
Inside the auditorium, Yi Xing Zhong was escorting two envoys from Yuzhou on a tour of the venue.
"Gentlemen, after seeing our security arrangements, you should be at ease, right? No one can cause trouble in Meizhou. Moreover, we have over a dozen ability users here. Who dares to act recklessly?" Yi Xing Zhong said to the two.
Xu Xing and Luo Qing, after observing the auction venue's setup, also believed this. The main hall of the auditorium was protected by bulletproof glass, and there were three layers of private boxes, each separated from the others. During the auction, it was indeed very safe. Attendees wouldn't know each other's identities, and bids were placed through bidding devices, preventing collusion.
"No problem. I have confidence in the Qinghong Gang's capabilities. However, we still need the Qinghong Gang to work hard on the subsequent grain transport. Yuzhou only needs grain!" Luo Qing stated seriously.
Xu Xing and Luo Qing were relatively free ability users, especially Xu Xing, who had only recently become an ability user. Her power of vibration was immense. Staying in Yuzhou constantly was not conducive to her growth. Shen Feng decided to let Luo Qing accompany Xu Xing to the auction to trade five ability potions for grain.
Xu Xing, with a samurai sword on her back, looked at the scene in the venue, finding it novel. She couldn't help but ask, "Will anyone cause trouble inside the venue?"
Yi Xing Zhong smiled slightly and said, "Miss Xu is still too worried. Such things won't happen. Although the participants in this auction are all extraordinary, important figures from various regions, they wouldn't dare to rob openly in Meizhou."
Xu Xing, upon receiving this answer, mused, "So, if anyone wants to rob, it would be after we leave, out in the wilderness?"
"That's right. There are bandits all over the world now. They band together in strategic locations. These people will do anything for money. If you want to steal precious supplies, you just need to bribe a few bandit groups," Yi Xing Zhong replied.
Hearing this, Xu Xing immediately became excited. "In that case, we might encounter bandits on our way back with the grain?"
"Xu Xing, don't be so excited. Encountering bandits is not a good thing!" Luo Qing was somewhat speechless at Xu Xing's reaction. Even if she wanted to show off, she didn't need to look forward to the appearance of bandits so much.
Xu Xing smiled and said, "I just want to punish evil and promote good. What's wrong with that?"
In Xu Xing's view, bandits and robbers were unequivocally bad guys. Killing them was simply killing them; there was no need to feel sorry.
Yi Xing Zhong then led the two to a private reception area in the depths of the auditorium. Although the visitors to Meizhou were two women, Yi Xing Zhong dared not underestimate them. Let alone two ability users, even if two ordinary people had come representing Yuzhou, they would still require grand hospitality.
In fact, after Wang Ao Ye released the news about auctioning ability potions, many factions had quickly rushed over. These people were determined to acquire the ability potions. However, upon hearing that Meizhou only accepted grain, this presented a problem.
Grain was the most precious commodity in the doomsday era. Ordinary people couldn't even farm, as mutated beasts might descend at any time to ravage crops. Most grain was held by the strong, as only the strong could protect grain production.
But not all strong individuals could become ability users. According to existing research, the lifespan of ability users had been significantly extended. In any era, lifespan was the most attractive prospect. Even an extra ten years of life would be pursued by some. And ability potions could extend human lifespan by at least a hundred years. Who wouldn't want such a good thing?
Thus, dozens of powerful factions had gathered in Meizhou, awaiting the start of the auction.
The ability potions intended for auction were considered insignificant by Shen Feng. They were not effective in combat and could not be used in daily life. After use, they primarily served to extend lifespan, with little other effect.
Ability potions, once they appeared, were immediately used, leaving no opportunity for them to be stolen.
No one knew the true value of ability potions. Shen Feng set the starting bid at one thousand tons of grain, a price that was prohibitive for small bases. Many small bases didn't even have a hundred tons of grain, let alone a thousand.
As night fell, the auction venue was filled with people. Those who arrived late found no private boxes available and had to leave empty-handed, unless they found someone they knew to share a room.
Xu Xing stood with her sword, hidden in the darkness on one side of the venue. Due to the angle, people in the three layers of private boxes could not see her.
"This is my first time in such a crowded place. I'm still a bit nervous," Xu Xing whispered.
Luo Qing stood behind Xu Xing. Seeing the situation, she calmly said, "There's no need to be nervous in this kind of setting. No one dares to cause trouble. Even if there are ability users here, they won't dare to act recklessly. You should consider the journey ahead for transporting the grain. It's possible that some impudent bandits might try to rob us."
Luo Qing was not worried about the auction. In Qinghong Gang territory, no one would dare to cause trouble. Instead, on the way back, when they were transporting grain, the scale would be considerable, and there was a risk of encountering robbers. That was the area requiring caution.
At this moment, the auction had begun. The host first introduced the items. As the highlight, the ability potions were naturally the last to be auctioned. The first item to appear was a bottle of pale green liquid: "Ladies and gentlemen, please look. This is a bottle of aloe vera gel, but this is no ordinary aloe vera gel. It is made from mutated aloe vera discovered in Australia. Anyone who applies this aloe vera gel will have their complexion nourished, with immediate results. The starting bid is 100 grams of gold."
There was no reaction from any of the private boxes, clearly unimpressed by this ordinary item. Beauty? In the doomsday era, who still needed beauty?
Thus, after the host's three inquiries, the aloe vera gel was, as expected, unsold.
The host knew that the main attraction of this auction was the ability potions, but auctions had to proceed in order. He then announced another good item for bidding.
"Extraterrestrial Meteorite! Ladies and gentlemen, please look. This is a meteorite that fell in Southeast Asia this year. As everyone knows, the current doomsday was caused by a meteorite. Ability users also gained their powers from extraterrestrial elements. We guarantee 100% that this meteorite is genuine. However, whether this meteorite contains extraterrestrial elements, we are unsure." The host lifted a red cloth. The second auction item was a meteorite!
This immediately sparked discussions in many private boxes, as people clearly showed interest upon hearing about the meteorite.
"A meteorite! If it contains extraterrestrial elements, wouldn't that be a huge profit?" someone exclaimed excitedly.
"What are you thinking? If it were a meteorite with extraterrestrial elements, would the Qinghong Gang be willing to sell it? This is just to trick fools." Someone else was more clear-headed, directly stating the truth. This meteorite was likely a deception, meant to distract.
It was known that there were hundreds of thousands of meteorites on Earth, and those containing extraterrestrial elements were like finding a needle in a haystack. Apart from the one in the Pacific Ocean, none had been found. To truly believe that this meteorite contained extraterrestrial elements would be to fall for a scam, wasting money and acquiring a useless rock.