Longdu, as the name suggests, is the capital of the Dragon Nation. It is the political center of the Dragon Nation.
A convoy of luxury cars, domestically produced by the Dragon Nation, drove into a lush and verdant compound. As they entered, they were inspected by soldiers at the gate before being allowed to proceed.
Inside one of the cars sat a middle-aged man and a young man.
The middle-aged man was the General Manager Yan, the head of the Dragon Nation's largest private telecommunications enterprise. The young man was Yan Hongyun, General Manager Yan's son.
Yan Hongyun asked, "Dad, where are we going? We're almost at our destination, why haven't you said anything yet?"
General Manager Yan replied, "Son, I don't know either. I only know we're going to attend a very important auction. You be observant later and don't provoke anyone randomly."
"Understood," Yan Hongyun said.
Soon, the vehicles arrived at the gate of the compound. Several cars were already lined up ahead, waiting to be inspected.
Yan Hongyun commented, "Dad, look, they're even inspecting here."
General Manager Yan said, "This shows the importance of this event. There were many hidden sentries along the road we took to get here. This also proves that the compound ahead is a crucial secret location with extremely strong security, never before revealed to the public."
After the cars ahead were inspected, it was the turn of General Manager Yan's vehicle.
Two soldiers approached and said, "Please open the trunk."
The driver looked back at General Manager Yan.
General Manager Yan nodded, signaling the driver to open the trunk.
The driver opened the trunk.
After a thorough inspection by the two soldiers, the vehicle continued forward and finally parked in the lot in front of a building within the compound.
As General Manager Yan alighted, he saw the General Manager of the Dragon Nation's leading infrastructure company, Zhou Heze, stepping out of another car. General Manager Yan knew this man.
General Manager Yan approached with a smile, "Manager Zhou, I didn't expect to see you here."
Zhou Heze returned a perfunctory smile, "General Manager Yan, you're here too."
The two walked and talked.
"Manager Zhou, do you know what this auction is that we've been summoned for?"
"General Manager Yan, I don't know either. They haven't told us anything."
"Really? You're the head of a state-owned company. How could you not know?"
"I genuinely don't know."
After entering the building, they encountered another security checkpoint.
A man in a suit, accompanied by over a dozen male and female soldiers, was meticulously conducting security checks. This inspection was even more stringent. As Zhou Heze, General Manager Yan, and Yan Hongyun walked in, more than ten other people were undergoing the same check.
A male soldier standing by the security scanner announced, "Besides dangerous items, all electronic devices such as mobile phones and electronic watches must be temporarily handed over to us for safekeeping."
"So strict?" Yan Hongyun frowned.
Zhou Heze glanced at the leader of the security personnel and remarked, "So it's this person in charge of the security checks."
General Manager Yan took a closer look at the leader. Apart from wearing a suit and having a muscular physique, there was nothing remarkable about him.
General Manager Yan asked softly, "Who is that?"
Just as Zhou Heze was about to reply, a young man undergoing inspection impatiently exclaimed, "Don't take my phone. I'll turn it off when I go in. It's just a phone! I spent millions on this custom phone. Can you afford to compensate me if it gets damaged?"
The security personnel ignored the young man and continued to demand the phone.
"If you refuse to hand it over, you'll have to leave."
The young man immediately became impatient, reaching out to grab the security personnel's hand, trying to snatch his phone back.
A man beside him, seemingly the young man's father, quickly intervened, "Stop fooling around. This is not a place for you to act out."
Zhou Heze smiled and said, "General Manager Yan, the show is about to begin. Watch closely."
The leader of the security personnel, dressed in a suit, walked over, snatched the young man's custom phone, and smashed it to the ground with great force. The phone shattered into pieces.
"Get this person out of here."
Several male soldiers stepped forward and dragged the young man out.
The young man continued to struggle and shout, "Do you know who I am? My father is the head of the Fan Dieyuan Group. He's here. Be careful or you'll regret it. Dad, tell them to stop!"
The leader of the security personnel turned to the young man's father and asked, "Do you intend to stop me?"
The young man's father repeatedly shook his head, "No, no. How could I dare?"
The young man, being dragged away, continued to protest.
His father, standing nearby, also shouted anxiously, "Ah! Son, you're embarrassing your father! You dare to act out in a place like this!"
The leader of the security personnel said to the young man's father, "Given your son's behavior, you also won't be entering this auction."
Upon hearing this, the father, who had been embarrassed by his son, felt as if he had lost a great opportunity. As things stood, he had no choice. He apologized to the security personnel and followed his son out.
General Manager Yan asked, "The head of Fan Dieyuan Group was actually brought down by his son? Fan Dieyuan is a group worth tens of billions. They're not giving him any face at all? Who is that person?"
General Manager Yan replied, "Don't be fooled by his ordinary clothes. He is often in charge of security for major conferences. His presence here overseeing security indicates the importance of this auction."
After the incident with the young man, the subsequent attendees did not dare to cause any trouble during their security checks.
After passing this checkpoint, General Manager Yan and the other two were guided to a long table.
A staff member announced, "All attendees must sign a confidentiality agreement. Failure to do so will result in exclusion from the venue."
General Manager Yan was surprised by the high level of secrecy surrounding the auction.
Zhou Heze walked forward directly and signed the confidentiality agreement without even reading it.
As the head of a state-owned company, Zhou Heze was naturally obligated to sign such agreements. Before coming, he had inquired with some people in higher positions, but they were either tight-lipped or emphasized the auction's extreme importance. They had all stressed its significance. If he didn't participate in this auction, someone else might take his place and attend.
While Zhou Heze could sign, General Manager Yan hesitated.
General Manager Yan asked, "May I see this confidentiality agreement?"
The staff member nodded, "Certainly."
General Manager Yan picked up the agreement and began to read. As he read, he was secretly shocked.
The main content stated that the auction was classified as top secret, and any disclosure would be treated as a crime of endangering the Dragon Nation's security, punishable by law.
General Manager Yan, having some legal knowledge, knew that endangering the Dragon Nation's security could carry the maximum penalty of death.
General Manager Yan said with concern, "Son, I'll go to this auction alone this time. You should just stop here. Go home."