Lu Jin lowered his gaze, looking at the person in his arms, his eyelashes flickering slightly. “How long did you stare into the green snake’s eyes?”
Chu Li’s cheek rubbed against Lu Jin’s neck. His strength had been almost entirely drained, leaving his body soft and limp. His crimson lips parted, and his words sounded as if they had been filtered through water, carrying a damp, breathless quality.
“Just a second.”
Fortunately, it was only a second. The hallucinogenic effect would dissipate in a few minutes.
He reached out and gripped the back of Chu Li’s neck, pulling the man tightly into his embrace.
“I’m so hot. I want,” Chu Li panted slightly.
Lu Jin leaned down, his raspy voice sounding just above Chu Li’s ear. “Would pheromones help?”
There were people all around the banquet; he could not soothe him in any other way. A temporary mark could alleviate the wave of passion rising within Chu Li’s body.
Chu Li blinked, seeming not to understand, yet also appearing to agree.
Seeing this, Lu Jin’s Adam’s apple rolled. His fingers brushed against the gland on the back of Chu Li’s neck. In the next instant, he gripped Chu Li’s jaw and bit down on the hidden gland, injecting a faint stream of Alpha pheromones.
A temporary mark would help reduce the hallucinogenic symptoms and ease his discomfort.
Their bodies pressed together, tightly enveloped by the thick darkness of the night. Soft music rose gracefully from the piano keys, and at some point, their footsteps began to turn in sync with the rhythm.
To onlookers, they appeared to be a couple whispering endearments in the height of passion.
When the piano piece ended, Chu Li’s consciousness slowly returned. Leaning in Lu Jin’s arms and recalling his coquettish behavior just now, his entire face turned bright red.
Madness.
He must have been mad to act like that.
Lu Jin did not seem to notice his agitation. Feeling that Chu Li’s body temperature had returned to normal, he led him to a sofa to rest.
Suddenly, a beam of piercing white light lit up the center of the hall. The layout of the dance floor shifted in an instant, transforming into an auction house.
“Phew, finally the highlight of the evening!”
“The market has not opened for three months. I wonder what kind of quality goods Boss Ha Tu has brought us this time.”
“My requirements are not high; I just want to buy a Beta from the Lower City to take back.”
Hearing the conversations around him, Chu Li’s dazed mind felt as if it had been doused with cold water, snapping him completely awake.
Buy an Omega from the Lower City.
So, this auction was also one of the channels the star pirates used to “fence their stolen goods.”
“I heard the crackdown has been strict lately; the starting price for Omegas has doubled.”
“As long as Boss Ha Tu’s goods are good, money is no object.”
“Don’t worry, Boss Ha Tu’s goods are top-tier. The second-rate ones are sold to other planets.”
“Chu Li was speechless.”
As an “Omega” who had once almost been accidentally sold to another planet, his face darkened.
Lu Jin glanced at him, and as he retracted his gaze, the corners of his lips could not help but curve upward.
The auction began with several rare crystals. A few wealthy guests bid against each other, but in the end, they were all bought at high prices by a person named Turing.
Next was the auction of various exotic beasts, ranging from live specimens to dried carcasses, and from pets to medicinal ingredients. They varied in type and function.
Hearing the rising bids, Chu Li felt only a sense of the absurd. These wealthy people threw money away like water to satisfy their curiosity and desire, while the poor in the Lower City risked their lives just for a meal to fill their bellies.
When he was a child, he had seen two young beggars in the Lower City stab each other to death over a piece of bread thrown away by someone from the Upper City. Their blood had stained the bread, and in the end, neither of them got to eat it.
Auctioneer: “Next is a top-tier Alpha. He is a veteran of the Hunt unit, tall and sturdy, with handsome and refined features. He is a rare treasure.”
As the voice fell, a black iron cage slowly descended from above. Long legs, a narrow waist, broad shoulders; they were revealed bit by bit.
An Alpha appeared before everyone, wearing a blindfold and a collar, his limbs bound and his body nearly naked. His bronze muscle lines were taut and smooth, every inch of his skin glowing under the incandescent lights. Every part of him was peak quality.
So Alphas could be commodities as well.
Truly, in the dark corners where no one could see, human malice would run wild.
The appearance of this Alpha sparked many gasps of admiration. The guest seats buzzed with whispers discussing his physique.
“Heavens, his mermaid line extends down into the thick hair; just looking at it makes one burn with desire.”
Chu Li instinctively turned his head. Before he could even see the Alpha’s mermaid line, Lu Jin beside him suddenly looked uncomfortable and began to cough.
“Cough! Cough, cough!”
Chu Li pulled a water chestnut candy from his pocket and handed it to Lu Jin, thinking Lu Jin’s lungs were acting up again.
Lu Jin signaled for him to unwrap the candy. As he did, Chu Li whispered, “Howie, you should drink more lung-clearing porridge at the military base.” Earlier, he had heard the eagle-masked man call Lu Jin “Howie,” so he called him that too.
“Okay.”
Chu Li handed the unwrapped candy to Lu Jin, but he did not expect Lu Jin to lean down and take it directly into his mouth. The moment those warm lips brushed against his fingers, his scalp tingled, and the gland on his neck flared with heat.
The Alpha pheromones injected into his body had not dissipated yet, making him exceptionally sensitive to Lu Jin’s touch. He withdrew his hand uncomfortably, looking up at the auction to hide his reaction.
The Alpha from before had already been bought by a guest at a high price.
“Guests, do not lose heart! Although you did not win that Alpha, there are three top-tier Omegas coming next. All have pheromones at S-level or above. They are soft and delicate, sweeter than honey peaches.”
The auctioneer swept his hand toward the back. A red curtain slowly rose, revealing a giant black iron cage containing three snow-white Omegas wearing only black restrictive gear.
They were blindfolded and could see nothing, which made their perception of fear even greater. Their bodies huddled closely together, trembling incessantly.
As the cage rose slowly, the guests surrounded it, their eyes wandering 360 degrees to appreciate these three youthful and beautiful bodies.
“Tsk, tsk. These bodies look like they were grown in milk.”
“Buy one to take back. When I go to the South District for combat, I’ll keep him in the tent, naked every day waiting for me to return. Hahaha!”
The crowd erupted in vulgar laughter. The three Omegas in the cage huddled even tighter, shaking with fear. This sight only further incited the lust of the crowd, to the point that some Alphas walked up to the cage and reached inside to stroke them.
The auctioneer quickly hammered his gavel to stop them, signaling for everyone to be seated.
The three Omegas were auctioned one by one, reaching the highest prices in the history of the venue. All were bought for 120,000 star coins by a mysterious person in a second-floor box.
On the second floor, the pitch-black glass blocked any prying eyes, leaving only the vague shadows of people moving inside.
Chu Li withdrew his gaze from the shadows, his lips pressed tight. The longer he stayed here, the more stifled he felt, as if something were weighing on his heart.
The auction was halfway through, and they still had not taken action.
Thinking of this, he could not help but look at Lu Jin.
Lu Jin seemed to know what he was thinking and spoke in a voice only the two of them could hear: “Wait until the market ends.”
The final item of the auction was an exotic beast. It had no features or limbs; its entire body was like silver-white flowing liquid, placed inside a human-shaped box.
The auctioneer introduced it excitedly: “This is one of the few shapeshifting beasts. It can transform into anyone’s likeness and fulfill any of the buyer’s requests.”
The Alphas below did not believe it: “It can turn into anyone? Then why don’t you show us one first!”
“Then turn it into Song Xu! Damn, let us experience Admiral Lu’s happiness too! Hahaha!”
Hearing this, the auctioneer snapped his fingers. The beast on stage slowly formed Song Xu’s face, neck, chest, waist, and abdomen. With every part that transformed, the breathing of the crowd grew deeper. Their eyes widened, staring intently at the stage, unwilling to miss a single second.
The sensations this beast brought them were even more stimulating than the three Omegas from before.
“Is that really Song Xu’s body?”
“He truly is a 3S-level Omega. By comparison, those three Omegas put together are not even worth Song Xu’s pinky finger.”
Seeing that the private parts were about to transform, Chu Li could not help but glance at Lu Jin. Lu Jin’s eyes were narrowed as he stared at the beast on stage, his expression looking very poor.
Chu Li closed his eyes and leaned back against the sofa, resting his palm against his forehead and letting out uncomfortable whimpering sounds.
Lu Jin looked at him. “What’s wrong?”
“My head is a bit dizzy. Maybe the hallucinogenic symptoms have not completely disappeared.”
Lu Jin reached out and massaged the Fengchi acupoint at the back of his neck. “Is that better?”
“Not yet.”
Once the beast had transformed into a complete body, the Alphas below went wild. They threw star coins toward the beast’s body, whistled, and shouted insults, as if they were humiliating the high-and-mighty 3S-level Omega Major General himself.
The starting price for this beast was 120,000 star coins. It eventually skyrocketed to 600,000 star coins and was once again bought by the mysterious person on the second floor, leaving the Alphas below fuming with jealousy.
“Who the hell is that person? How are they so rich?”
“I did not get a single thing today. This experience is terrible!”
After the beast was taken away, Chu Li’s dizziness improved.
A waiter in a black uniform hurried to the auctioneer’s ear and whispered something. The auctioneer nodded and signaled for silence.
“Guests who have not bought anything, do not worry! We have just made a temporary decision. To thank everyone for your enthusiastic support tonight, we are adding a bonus prize! He is a double S-level Omega from the Upper City! He is a rare treasure!”
Inside the second-floor box, a man dressed in black and leaning on a cane frowned, looking at the bowing Ha Tu beside him. “Bonus prize?”
Ha Tu was also a bit confused. As the owner of the auction house, even he did not know about any bonus prize. He said flatteringly, “Master Ming, if you like him, I’ll give the prize directly to you.”
Yuan Ming said nothing, sitting expressionlessly in a specially made wheelchair.
Standing behind the wheelchair were Fu Lin, Evans, and others. They diligently massaged Yuan Ming’s back and shoulders, served tea, and did everything possible to please him. However, he did not even give them a sideways glance, speaking only to Ha Tu at most.
A black iron cage was slowly pushed out. The red cloth fell away, revealing an Omega curled in a corner, trembling with fear.
This Omega looked very young, only about six or seven years old. Unlike the other Omegas, he was not naked or wearing special gear.