Linn watched the scene unfold from only a few steps away, making no attempt whatsoever to rescue him.
Three elegantly dressed women had somehow surrounded Helix before they had even reached their seats.
One stood directly in front of him, speaking with practiced ease as though striking up conversations with strangers at exclusive auctions was simply part of the evening.
Another lingered comfortably beside her, quietly studying him with open curiosity.
The third had already joined in with a warm laugh, her champagne glass resting lightly between slender fingers.
Helix stood exactly where Linn had last seen him.
Motionless.
Composed.
Linn folded her arms.
This was far too entertaining to interrupt.
“I do not believe we have met before,” the first woman said pleasantly.
“I am Isabella.”
“Vivienne.”
“Catherine.”
Three introductions in rapid succession.
Helix acknowledged each with a courteous nod.
“…Caleb.”
The women exchanged amused smiles.
“Just Caleb?” Vivienne asked.
Before anyone else could speak, Linn stepped effortlessly into the circle, smiling with all the effortless grace expected of someone born into old money.
“Helena Ashford.”
She slipped naturally to Helix’s side before lightly resting a hand against his arm.
“This is my brother, Caleb.”
The women greeted her with equal warmth, returning introductions she had only just overheard.
“What a handsome brother you have,” Catherine remarked with an easy smile.
Linn let out a soft laugh.
“I know.”
Vivienne turned back toward Helix.
“So, Mr. Ashford, are you enjoying the auction?”
“…”
Helix regarded her calmly.
“…”
Another second passed.
“…”
The silence became just long enough to grow noticeably.
Linn sighed almost apologetically before offering the women an embarrassed smile.
“Please don’t mind him.”
She lowered her voice conspiratorially.
“…My brother is selectively mute.”
Helix turned his head toward her.
“…”
The three women blinked almost in unison.
“…Oh.”
Linn nodded sympathetically.
“Some days he speaks in complete sentences. The doctors say he is making progress.”
“…”
None of the women seemed quite certain whether she was joking.
Helix had entered the auction in perfect health, but Linn had somehow managed to convince three complete strangers that he suffered from a medical condition she had invented on the spot.
Linn smiled reassuringly.
“But do not worry. He is very friendly.” She gave Helix’s sleeve an encouraging pat.
“Painfully single too.”
“Helena.”
“Yes, brother?”
“Stop talking.”
Linn smiled sweetly at the three women.
“See? That is already more words than he has spoken all week.”
For the first time since approaching them, the women laughed openly.
Even Helix did not bother correcting her.
He regarded Linn for another long second before quietly looking away again, apparently concluding that arguing with her would require considerably more effort than simply letting her continue.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, the three women excused themselves to rejoin their companions farther inside the hall.
Linn watched them disappear into the crowd before turning toward Helix with unmistakable satisfaction.
“Selectively mute. Universally attractive.” She nodded to herself as though reviewing an impressive résumé.
“Remarkable combination. You are basically a chick magnet.”
Helix did not so much as spare her a glance.
“…Can that wipe out Zeropoint?”
Linn’s smile faltered.
“…What?”
“If not,” Helix replied with the same flat indifference, “stop talking.”
He continued toward their assigned seats without waiting for a response.
Linn stared after him for a moment before shaking her head with an incredulous laugh.
Still grinning to herself, she followed a step behind.
By the time they settled into their places, the quiet conversations filling the hall had already begun to fade beneath the soft chime signaling that the auction would soon begin.
Linn lowered her gaze to the leather-bound catalog resting on her lap.
Unlike ordinary auction brochures, it contained no photographs.
Only neatly printed lot numbers followed by deliberately vague descriptions—just enough to attract the right buyers while concealing the true value of what was being sold.
When the catalog had first arrived at headquarters, Jion had spent several minutes studying it before quietly closing the cover.
With only two confirmed clues-an unidentified artifact and Mercer’s vanished nine years of research—the catalog offered far too many possibilities.
They had accepted before the mission even began that the auction would be an exercise in elimination rather than certainty.
If fortune favored them, one of the listed items would lead them closer to the truth behind Mercer’s research.
If not, they would simply leave with another dead end and wait for the next auction.
“There are so many items.” She quietly turned another page.
“How are we supposed to identify which one is related to Mercer’s research?”
“We do not.” Helix did not look away from the room.
“We identify who wants it most.”
She considered the answer for a moment before lowering her voice.
“You sure Zeropoint is here?”
“They would not let information like this change hands without trying.”
“And if no one bids?”
“Then our assumption was wrong.”
Linn nodded slowly, closing the catalog.
Almost absentmindedly, she glanced sideways at Helix.
Then frowned.
“…Why are you still making that face?”
Helix looked at her.
“…Smile.”
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Linn stared at him for a long second.
“I don’t know. Just stop looking like you are here to assassinate the auctioneer.”
“…”
From somewhere behind them, two well-dressed attendees continued a conversation in voices just low enough to remain private, yet loud enough for nearby guests to overhear.
“I finally purchased the island.”
“Which one?”
“The smaller property in the south. The larger one kept attracting tourists.”
“A reasonable decision.”
“I’ll probably acquire the neighboring one next year.”
“…”
Linn stared straight ahead for a long second before slowly turning toward Helix.
“…”
“…”
“…They buy islands the way Sean buys fried chicken.”
Without so much as glancing at her, Helix answered in the same quiet tone.
“…Sean buys more.”
The lights throughout the hall dimmed another shade.
Quiet conversations gradually disappeared as every head turned toward the illuminated stage.
The host finally stepped behind the podium, an effortless smile already in place.
“Ladies and gentlemen…”
The host allowed the applause to fade naturally before continuing, his practiced smile never leaving his face beneath the warm glow of the stage lights.
“Thank you for joining us this evening.” One hand rested lightly against the podium as his gaze swept across the audience.
“As always, every item presented tonight has been independently authenticated prior to listing. Descriptions have been intentionally limited to protect the interests of both consignors and bidders. Further inquiries regarding any lot will not be entertained.”
He paused just long enough for the words to settle.
“The usual rules apply. No recording devices. No private negotiations inside the hall. Successful bidders will receive collection instructions after the auction concludes.”
The screen behind him shifted.
“Now, let us begin.”
LOT 001
Decommissioned Guidance System Prototype
Origin: Restricted
A partially concealed metallic object slowly rotated across the display as attendants wheeled a reinforced presentation case onto the stage.
The host spared it a brief glance before announcing the opening bid.
“Two million.”
The first paddle rose almost immediately.
Another followed.
Then another.
The numbers climbed with remarkable speed, yet the room itself remained almost unnaturally quiet.
No one reacted as the bids doubled, nor when they climbed even higher.
The eventual winner received nothing more than a courteous nod before attendants removed the case as discreetly as they had brought it in.
The next lot arrived without ceremony.
Then another.
Military technology whose manufacturers officially denied existed.
Intelligence dossiers recovered from unnamed archives.
Biological specimens identified only by deliberately vague scientific descriptions.
Ancient relics with intentionally omitted provenance.
Prototype storage devices sealed behind encryption no public institution acknowledged possessing.
One after another, impossible objects quietly exchanged hands while fortunes disappeared behind nothing more than the occasional lift of a numbered paddle.
The auction continued with the same measured rhythm it had maintained from the beginning.
One lot replaced another.
Millions quietly became tens of millions.
Somewhere along the way, Linn had stopped reacting whenever another item sold for an amount capable of purchasing an entire city block.
No one else seemed impressed either.
To the people gathered inside the hall, money had never been the point.
They were buying leverage.
Influence.
Secrets.
Nearly forty minutes passed before the rhythm finally changed.
Attendants wheeled another presentation pedestal onto the stage.
Unlike the previous displays, this one held nothing more than a slim black document case no larger than an ordinary briefcase.
Compared to the military hardware and ancient relics that had preceded it, the case looked almost disappointingly ordinary.
“Our next item…”
The host’s voice lingered deliberately over the silence.
“…Lot Twenty-One.”
The screen changed.
LOT 021
Research Notes
Scientific Origin Undisclosed
“As with all informational lots, authenticity has been independently verified. The seller assumes no responsibility for the interpretation of its contents.”
No photograph accompanied the description.
No author’s name.
No institution.
No publication date.
Helix’s gaze lingered briefly on the description.
Research notes.
The conversation inside Room F20-07 had never centered on the artifact alone.
Zeropoint already possessed fragments of the research.
If another fragment had truly surfaced on the black market, this would explain why someone was willing to pay fortunes for information rather than the artifact itself.
It could still be unrelated.
But of every lot listed that evening, this was the strongest candidate.
“Opening bid…”
“…Eight million.”
For the first time that evening, the room hesitated.
Only for a moment.
A paddle rose.
“Eight million.”
Another answered almost immediately.
“Nine.”
Before the host could acknowledge it, a third paddle appeared elsewhere in the hall.
“Ten.”
Linn’s attention sharpened almost instantly.
Something had changed.
Every previous lot had unfolded with quiet patience.
Bidders tested one another, allowing the price to climb gradually before deciding whether another offer was worthwhile.
This time, no one seemed interested in testing the waters.
They were bidding to win.
The numbers continued climbing.
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Thirteen.
Fourteen.
Each increase came without hesitation, each bidder answering almost before the previous amount had finished echoing through the hall.
The low murmur throughout the audience gradually faded as more heads turned toward the increasingly aggressive exchange unfolding before the stage.
Another paddle rose near the front.
“Twenty million.”
Someone answered immediately from the opposite side of the hall.
“Twenty-five.”
For the first time that evening, the increase drew visible reactions.
Several attendees shifted their attention toward the newest bidder—not because of the amount itself, but because of the speed with which it had been offered.
Helix’s gaze moved almost imperceptibly across the audience, lingering not on the stage, but on the people.
Linn followed his line of sight.
One bidder.
Then another.
Separated by several rows.
Neither acknowledged the other.
Neither appeared remotely concerned by the money disappearing with every raised paddle.
Yet for entirely different reasons.
The bidding continued to climb.
One paddle quietly lowered, unwilling to follow the rapidly escalating price.
Another bidder hesitated after thirty million.
A third allowed several seconds to pass before finally setting his paddle down altogether.
Within moments, only two bidders remained.
Neither showed the slightest intention of backing down.
“Thirty-two million.”
“Thirty-eight.”
“Thirty-nine.”
“Forty-five.”
“Forty-six.”
Linn frowned.
“They are bidding very differently.”
Helix’s gaze never left the bidders.
“Different objectives.”
She glanced at him.
“…How?”
“Look at the increments.” His eyes shifted almost imperceptibly between the two bidders.
“One wants everyone else out of the bidding.” A brief pause.
“The other wants someone to keep bidding.”
“Shouldn’t we bid?”
“Not anymore.”
“Why?”
“We no longer know who we are bidding against.”
Helix’s attention remained fixed on the two remaining bidders.
Before entering the auction, Enphire had expected only one serious competitor.
Zeropoint.
Their original plan had been straightforward.
Join the bidding just long enough to confirm which lot attracted Zeropoint’s interest, then follow whoever walked away with it.
Even if Enphire somehow secured the item themselves, Helix had never expected Zeropoint to simply let it leave untouched.
That assumption no longer held.
There were now two parties willing to spend fortunes on the same item.
One was almost certainly Zeropoint.
Which raised a far more important question.
Who was the other?
The widening figures drew more attention than the numbers themselves.
It no longer felt like an auction.
It felt like pressure.
“Fifty.”
“Fifty-one.”
“Sixty million.”
The hall fell completely silent.
Even the auctioneer paused for the briefest fraction of a second, his practiced smile faltering almost imperceptibly before years of professionalism reclaimed it.
Around the room, more heads turned toward the bidder who had just spoken.
Sixty million had not merely surpassed the previous offer—it had erased it.
No paddle rose.
The silence stretched.
“…Sixty million,” the host repeated, his voice measured once more.
His gaze swept across the audience one final time.
“Any advance on sixty?”
Nothing.
“Going once.”
Another pause.
“Going twice.”
The gavel descended with a sharp crack that echoed through the hall.
“Sold.”
Two attendants stepped forward to remove the document case while conversations resumed in hushed voices, though noticeably quieter than before.
Linn remained staring at the stage, her eyes still slightly widened.
“Sean could buy a lifetime supply of fried chicken with that money…”
A brief pause.
“…And probably an afterlife supply too.”
Helix did not even look at her.
“…He would.”
His eyes followed both bidders.
Retrieving the fragment was no longer their only objective.
Whoever had purchased it…
…and whoever had pushed the bidding to the very end… both possessed answers Enphire did not.
If one belonged to Zeropoint, then the other represented an entirely new variable.
Either way, they intended to follow both.
The losing bidder remained seated.
Too calm.
Too relaxed.
As if the result had changed nothing.
“Sir…”
“…we lost.”
The losing bidder adjusted his cuff.
“…According to whom?”
He calmly slipped the auction paddle into a nearby trash bin before walking toward the exit without another glance at the stage.