Pu Xin fully agreed with the notion that Little One hadn’t grown.
She felt a mix of joy and worry—joyful because she could continue accompanying Little One as they grew, yet anxious because Little One had already been delayed by that foolish father.
If her Little Ones couldn’t become formidable little dandelions, not a single foolish father would be innocent.
Inevitably, she wondered whether the other seeds had sprouted, and if they too had been led astray by that foolish father.
The auction continued, and she cast a glance at Lu Xunzhi, whose gaze seemed focused yet actually blank; he was probably communicating with the State Security Bureau.
When Little Dandelion lifted her head, the people in the private room had already left. Only an empty highball glass remained on the railing, with faint traces of red wine at the bottom.
Pu Xin found it strange; she had only sensed a fleeting chance that the other party might be her Little One at the moment they brushed past, yet when she had met Xunzhi that day, she could feel his aura even from a great distance.
She worried that the half-Little One she had just discovered might have slipped away, opening her mouth to consult Lu Xunzhi, when a shadow suddenly fell over her.
The attendant who had previously delivered the cat’s eye gemstone returned, still carrying a tray, but this time it held not the cat’s eye gemstone ring, but the SS-grade mutant nutrient solution just auctioned off.
Pu Xin stared in astonishment at the slow-flowing turquoise liquid in the swan-necked vial and the lively silver glimmers swimming within, her gaze asking the attendant silently for an explanation.
The attendant offered a professional smile, bowing politely. “Greetings, beautiful lady. This is a gift from the auction winner of Room S. We hope you like it.”
The identical words from before made Lu Xunzhi frown.
Still persistent?
Before he could speak, the attendant quickly added, “He also asked me to convey this: if you do not accept this nutrient solution, feel free to handle it as you wish. He will not reclaim it.”
The latter part was clearly directed at Lu Xunzhi. The Marshal’s anger, momentarily subdued, flared up again. Just as he was about to respond, he recalled the small oil bottle the foolish mother had managed to hang onto when the nutrient solution was auctioned.
After a brief internal struggle, Lu Xunzhi smirked coldly in his mind, retrieved a bank card from his spatial pouch, and said with calm politeness, “Kindly give this card to him. I’ll purchase the nutrient solution myself; consider this extra for his trouble. If he refuses, feel free to handle the card as you wish.”
He left the attendant no chance to refuse and placed the card on the tray. The card was a backup provided by the State Security Bureau for unexpected situations at the auction. It had no real-name authentication and contained one hundred million federal credits. Later, he would transfer the money back to the bureau.
The attendant, recognizing he was difficult to please, prepared to leave silently. Pu Xin, however, called out, “May I know his name?”
Little Dandelion’s lips curved in a smile. The attendant, seeing her half-visible face outside the mask, paused briefly, recalling the slight smile the boss had worn not long ago when giving him instructions.
It seemed…
After a momentary distraction, he lowered his voice and relayed his boss’s instructions, “Arcius.”
Pu Xin whispered the name, while Lu Xunzhi narrowed his eyes.
Arcius was the CEO of the Aaron Group, ranked among the top ten in the interstellar system, personally the wealthiest in the interstellar rich list, with main industries in the Hetulu Empire.
Ruthless executioner, cruel vampire, liar capitalist…
This was how merchants across the interstellar nations described him.
How could he be here?
Could this auction house be connected to him?
The thought made Lu Xunzhi frown. Fang Jing, constantly in communication with him, obviously overheard the exchange and fell silent.
Pu Xin wanted to ask more, but the attendant stepped back and bowed slightly. “I’m afraid I cannot reveal too much. Soon, you will meet him yourself.”
The words successfully reassured Pu Xin. The attendant bowed slightly and departed.
For someone to reveal their identity to Pu Xin so easily, saying Arcius had no ulterior motive, Lu Xunzhi would never believe it—unless he too was one of the foolish mother’s Little Ones.
Marshal Lu let out a brief, contemptuous snort.
He wanted to warn the foolish mother that Arcius was dangerous, but then heard her murmuring indistinctly, “Xiu Xiu Little One.”
Lu Xunzhi suspected he misheard and was about to ask, when Pu Xin, shaking off her absent-mindedness, turned her head happily, tugging at his sleeve, and exclaimed, “Zhizhi darling, Mommy loves you.”
Little Ones, even before gaining concrete consciousness, loved to snuggle in her arms. She always had to pat their little heads to keep them content. Would they recognize each other now and get along?
The sudden expression of affection from the foolish mother nearly made Lu Xunzhi choke on his own saliva. Embarrassed, he turned his face away, the force successfully displacing the four blurred words “Xiu Xiu Little One” from his mind.
At that moment, the auctioneer slammed down the final gavel, ending the auction. The host finished the closing speech and invited the winners to attend the masquerade ball hosted by the auction house.
Lu Xunzhi’s earpiece relayed Fang Jing’s serious voice, “Be careful, Marshal Lu, the real trickery may lie at this masquerade.”
Aside from official charity auctions, underground auctions rarely held post-auction banquets, especially masquerade balls. Anyone familiar with underground auctions knew most items came from unknown sources, some even stained with blood.
Normally, winners would leave immediately, but over ninety percent of attendees not under the State Security Bureau’s arrangement remained. Some were regulars; others had been invited specifically and won items.
Hence, the covertly placed attendees from the bureau also remained, preparing for the masquerade.
Lu Xunzhi had Pu Xin store the nutrient solution. After ensuring it was safe, he allowed her to drink the juice from passing trays. The auction floor, under mechanized control, shifted layout in a minute.
The auction hall transformed into a spacious ballroom, a pyramid of glasses in the center, world-class wines on tables, desserts and fruits arranged aesthetically.
Lighting remained dim, so Lu Xunzhi kept hold of Pu Xin, who obediently followed him. Occasionally mischievous, she would help herself to juice from passing attendants’ trays, sipping happily with his permission.
Distances closed between couples; more than half the dance partners were mutants.
A tall, thin man half-embraced a petite girl in a backless gown, her snow-white back adorned with large, dark flowers like living tattoos.
A sultry woman held a docile lop-eared rabbit boy, moving confidently among acquaintances, exchanging pleasantries, yet aware of greedy eyes on her.
Fang Jing noticed, sensing that mutants were likely a key bargaining chip. Currently, only Lu Xunzhi had a mutant with him.
Pu Xin eagerly sampled juices. After tasting, Lu Xunzhi allowed her to continue. A woman in a crimson fishtail gown holding the rabbit boy clinked glasses with him.
“Never seen you before? First time here?” she asked, evidently a regular.
Lu Xunzhi sipped wine, shrugged, “Heard there were good things here. A bit disappointed so far.”
His ambiguous answer prompted the woman to smile knowingly and finish her wine, her gaze sweeping over Pu Xin, “Didn’t find what you liked this time? Next time, you’ll find something to your heart’s content.”
The petite girl beside the man stole a sip of wine, her bright eyes peeking mischievously, like a little hamster afraid of being caught stealing food.
The woman’s glance drew attention to her; she noticed the girl’s cheeks blush faint pink. Her lips glistened like ripe cherries on a branch.
Overcome by the wine’s effect, Pu Xin leaned weakly on Lu Xunzhi’s arm, the small yellow flower in her hair struggling against the heat but unable to dissipate it.
Someone subtly averted their eyes; the woman smiled softly, “Your little girl is adorable.”
Lu Xunzhi’s temple vein twitched; he had anticipated that the foolish mother wouldn’t behave and would stir up trouble. He forced a faint smile, suppressing the urge to press the yellow flower down, “Never let me rest easy.”
Whether the flower was pressed or not didn’t matter; one more mutant here was negligible.
After brief exchanges, the ballroom lights dimmed completely. Only silhouettes could be seen, and the host announced the start of the dance under the spotlight.
Lu Xunzhi frowned slightly; the masquerade seemed simple.
Pu Xin, almost unable to handle alcohol, was soft and steaming, her flower bobbing uselessly.
Nearby dancers moved elegantly; the two standing still seemed out of place. Reluctantly, Lu Xunzhi took her hand and led her in the dance.
Pu Xin pressed her warm cheek to her hand, her eyes dreamy, and excitedly stepped on Little One’s back with her unruly legs.
Lu Xunzhi remained expressionless, deciding never to let her drink again, and to hire a dance teacher for her.
Music flowed, Fang Jing’s intermittent voice warned, “Marshal Lu, too many moving in the dance floor; we can’t monitor everyone. Stay alert.”
In such dim light, keeping track of over a hundred people was impossible.
The tempo suddenly changed; the brisk rhythm wasn’t suited to graceful dance. Pu Xin’s confused steps struggled to match.
Lu Xunzhi clenched his jaw, forced to follow her movements, while observing the surroundings. Abruptly, a large hand grabbed Pu Xin’s wrist; Lu Xunzhi, unprepared, was bumped by others, partially numbing his arm, and the foolish mother vanished in an instant.
He opened his eyes to react when a low voice whispered in his ear, “This guest, please follow me.”
Someone dressed exactly like Pu Xin silently took his hand. Lu Xunzhi wanted to struggle, but Fang Jing’s voice warned, “Don’t act rashly. Follow her. I’ll protect your aunt.”
A rare opportunity.
Lu Xunzhi gritted his jaw. How could he entrust the foolish mother to someone else? Normally silly, easily delighted by trivial gemstones, now drunk and dizzy, unaware her dance partner had changed, what if—
“Marshal Lu! Remember your identity! You’re on a mission!” Fang Jing’s harsh reminder came.
He closed his eyes firmly. In his momentary struggle, he cruelly wished they could just take down this damned place directly.
But he knew well that to dismantle the illicit mutant trade, raiding the auction alone only addressed symptoms; the underground operatives would retreat further into shadows, continuing their illicit dealings unnoticed.
Fang Jing assured, “Rest easy, she’s being watched. With her abilities, no one here can harm her. I’ll arrange her safe departure.”
The auction house’s trick was clear.
The prior auction was mere distraction; the real event used the masquerade to quietly replace select participants with doubles. Those removed wouldn’t notice, leaving with attendants afterward.
During this time, no State Security Bureau agent was chosen for continuation. Fang Jing observed several others being replaced by doubles and leaving.
Confident in Lu Xunzhi’s abilities, he had the bureau ready outside to seize the culprits once they exited.
Everything proceeded smoothly—until Fang Jing tried to contact Lu Xunzhi, only to find all signals blocked; even the federation’s advanced tracker couldn’t locate him.
A bad premonition struck him. Meanwhile, the dance ended, everyone present remained, and Pu Xin was being led by someone dressed exactly like Lu Xunzhi, limping against them, completely unaware her partner had changed.
Seeing this, Fang Jing breathed a quiet sigh of relief. The auction house was compromised, and they just needed to apprehend the culprits.
The host finished the formalities, gave each participant a small gift, and attendants escorted them through separate exits.
Once all were removed, Fang Jing prepared to issue the capture order when urgent communication arrived—
Pu Xin was gone!
The person who left was a double.