Another bid of twenty million pushed the total to thirty-seven million.
This price could no longer simply be called “astronomical.” Even among all the prices ever called at the club’s previous auctions, it would rank near the top.
Paying nearly forty million for a mere plaything was extravagantly excessive. Once Pei Yusheng’s bid was announced, anyone else who considered raising their offer had to hesitate.
On the other side, the host began the countdown to finalize the price.
“Thirty-seven million, first call!”
His pace quickened noticeably; unlike before, he no longer dragged out the words or added descriptive filler. The auction hall had its own rules—malicious bidding was forbidden to prevent regretful purchases. Maintaining order was also the host’s responsibility.
After three calls, the host struck the gavel sharply, decisively.
“Thirty-seven million, sold!”
The gavel fell like a thunderclap, echoing through the banquet hall.
It also reverberated painfully in Qi Ji’s ears.
The strike seemed to hit his temple directly, splitting open his already suffering body. Blood poured forth, carrying away the warmth and life from him.
Since being trapped on the display stage, the electric shocks from the golden restraints had never fully ceased. Not just the wristbands, but the collar, leg cuffs, and anklets all delivered jolts.
Even the fine, silk-like chains carried current.
Qi Ji’s body had long reached its limit; even the subtle weight of the thin chains left red marks on his skin. How could he possibly withstand constant electrical torment? Like a freshly grown dandelion, the slightest cold breeze could scatter him—he was no match for this relentless storm.
At first, Qi Ji trembled uncontrollably. Later, he curled into a ball, exhausted to the point where only the shock could make him shiver. His naturally sharp senses had been pushed to the extreme, forcing him into self-numbing just to survive.
When the gavel’s sound drew near, the boy sluggishly processed the cruel message:
He had been sold—through a ludicrously brutal method, completely stripping away his will.
The auction item was delivered on site: the buyer paid, and ownership of the sixth item transferred immediately. Qi Ji’s vision blurred; his ears felt muffled, barely catching sound.
He heard the electronic confirmation of a sky-high payment, then the host’s exuberant commentary:
“Everyone has just witnessed the combat ability of the sixth item—part of its incomparable charm. To ensure the safety of our esteemed guest, we will now activate the switches controlling the currents on number six…”
“…!!”
Bright, burning red leaked from his pale, chapped lips. This time, Qi Ji even lost the ability to self-numb; his body had exceeded its limit and could no longer protect itself.
The voice pronouncing his fate became unnervingly clear.
“The switches will soon be handed to our respected guest. You can see that even without the current, number six cannot stand independently. This is due to the effects of the BS991 drug and number six’s own sensitivity. The buyer will personally verify this.”
“Now, the most thrilling moment! We invite our honored guest to claim this beautiful white mask!”
The stage was hard and polished; the sound of polished shoes striking it rang out with each step, like a tolling death knell.
Even after enduring so much pain and electricity, Qi Ji could not numb himself to the terror of being touched by a stranger.
Below, countless cold eyes were fixed on him, seeing his face.
At the thought, his stomach cramped violently, and his body shook, causing the fine chains to jingle softly.
The host continued skillfully, inciting the audience with exaggerated words. The microphone blared, near-deafening, piercing like icy needles into the eardrums.
“Please, sir, personally remove this ‘white mask’—!”
Qi Ji could no longer see; only faint shifts of light and shadow suggested he was being engulfed by darkness.
He hung his head, feeling the cold touch of death’s scythe at his neck.
His vision a chaotic blur, the prolonged torment had broken his last defenses. Qi Ji could no longer resist the drug’s effects rationally; under the electric current, his body burned with fever, as though it would ignite itself entirely.
In this overwhelming sensation, his last faint consciousness slowly sank, leaving only icy numbness.
Yet, in the midst of this blazing fire, he felt a piercing cold and, in a daze, recalled fragments of his life:
The blood splashing in the ring, the scattered scent of alcohol and colorful lights in the club.
Endless nights in the study room, racing against deadlines; the pale dawn outside; trying to stand but his body refusing; bumping his lower back on the hard corner of a desk.
Fights from over ten years ago, the words “your parents don’t want you” echoing; returning to an empty home, tears spilling while washing wounds, the cold emptiness of a bed that had lost all familiar scent after half a year apart from his parents.
His miserable, despised, struggling life, sinking in the filth despite desperate attempts to escape.
Qi Ji burned with heat, yet shivered uncontrollably, teeth chattering.
He was about to… break.
Qi Ji knew he could not give in, could not be weak, yet he was so…
Cold.
So cold…
His remaining awareness reached out to the approaching hand.
As the hand neared the thin veil, at the last second before the tension snapped—suddenly, a deafening explosion rang out nearby.
“BOOM—!!”
“Bang!”
Screams erupted, the elegant banquet hall descending into chaos like a market. Amid the noise, a sharp, piercing sound struck the ears.
“Beep—”
A soundwave designed to silence the room. The piercing wave throbbed painfully in the brain, then, as expected, the hall fell briefly silent.
A roar cut through this brief calm:
“Don’t move! Inspection!”
Qi Ji heard it faintly, but it seemed unreal. Before he could fully grasp the sudden turn, a large shadow enveloped him.
Cloth brushed against his cheek—a coat, it seemed. A voice whispered nearby, unintelligible over his ringing ears. He struggled to identify it, but before he could, his wrists and ankles felt a pulling sensation.
The fine chains binding his hands were torn apart.
The gold cuffs remained snug on his skin. Moving his legs, he slowly realized:
The current in the cuffs had vanished.
Before he could comprehend what had happened, he was lifted off the ground.
The arms holding him were steady, not harsh. His skin, too delicate to touch directly, was fully wrapped in the coat, so he felt no pressure.
The coat smelled of sunlight and new fabric, warm and comforting, with no trace of a stranger’s scent.
Qi Ji relaxed slightly, dazed. Sunlight in the coat? It wasn’t even night…
Cradled in this warmth, he curled into a ball. Movement caused pain in his temples, yet the arms holding him remained steady.
Trying to stay conscious and assess the situation, he found his strength depleted; nerves strained beyond endurance. Finally, wrapped in the protective warmth of the coat, Qi Ji’s awareness could no longer resist—it sank, slowly, into a deep, calm place.
This time, the descent was not cold.
Bathed in gentle sunlight, he drifted, each breath scented with warmth.
Even the most willful and self-centered Jiang Shao couldn’t fail to notice the shifting gazes around him. Especially since this inspection had come without any warning—he hadn’t received a single message.
Having spent so long in S City, accustomed to running roughshod over everyone, he had never been humiliated like this. He immediately flew into a rage, pointing at the lead officer.
“Who let you in? Do you even know whose territory this is?! Security! Get these people out of here—now!”
Jiang Shao, ever arrogant and domineering, could not afford to show weakness in front of so many guests.
Yet his explosive reaction only highlighted his lack of composure and crisis management skills. His words caused many guests to frown in disapproval.
The middle-aged officer at the front remained unshaken. He cast a glance at Jiang Shao, then calmly raised a search warrant.
Black-and-white on paper, stamped and official.
“Inspection. Please cooperate. Thank you.”
Jiang Shao naturally refused to back down, but the inspection had arrived so suddenly, with far more officers than he had anticipated. Before he could react, they had already taken control of the situation.
The entire banquet hall descended into chaos. Guests scattered attention; the stage that had once held all eyes lost its focus. Before anyone could react, several people on stage were subdued, and even the lighting technicians in the backstage control room were lined up at the edge of the stage.
No one noticed that the circular white spotlight, originally meant to highlight the auction item, was now empty.
At the very moment “Inspection” was shouted, Pei Yusheng had already wrapped the boy and carried him away.
The escape route was narrow and winding, with thin walls that offered little sound insulation. The surrounding noise could still be heard.
Not just the banquet hall—the entire estate reverberated with sirens.
Having studied the layout of the club and the Shanhai estate, Pei Yusheng took a shortcut, moving swiftly with the boy in his arms. He had run through the hall the same way before, but only now, with the boy securely in his embrace, did his hands finally steady.
The boy’s burning body pressed against his chest, still scorching through the layer of coat. Previously, Pei Yusheng had thought Qi Ji’s body temperature was too low. Now, as he warmed up, that heat scorched Pei Yusheng’s heart.
The boy trembled, fragile and shaking like a flame flickering in the wind, ready to be snuffed out at any moment. Pei Yusheng feared he would struggle to breathe, so he carefully opened the coat’s collar to expose the lower half of the boy’s face. But Qi Ji refused to move toward the opening, burrowing deeper into the dark, enclosed, safe environment of the coat, curling up to protect himself.
He was terrified, desperately retreating into his shell.
Pei Yusheng gritted his teeth, jaw tight and angular, sharp and cold. His arms remained gentle in their hold, but the veins on his forehead were tense.
A familiar, stabbing pain flared in his chest—the kind of suffocating ache that only comes from sleepless nights.
He had come too late.
Ahead, the passage ended after a few twists and turns, leading to the estate’s rear exit. A young officer stationed there froze at the sight of someone emerging, then instinctively reached for his baton.
“Stop! No entry here!”
The officer’s vigilance was heightened, and when he saw the man’s bloodshot eyes and tense expression, a chill ran through him.
“Who are you?”
The man stopped but made no move to resist. In his arms was someone tightly wrapped, face obscured. Before the officer could assess further, the man quietly recited a long string of numbers.
“……?” the officer muttered.
He opened his mouth to question him, but his partner stopped him.
Pressing an ear to his headset, the partner carefully listened, then glanced at the man. Hesitant, he attempted to read a portion of the code aloud.
The man quickly responded, matching the code in the headset perfectly.
They repeated this back-and-forth three times. Once confirmed, the partner released his hold on the headset, nodded toward the man, and gestured for him to proceed.
The younger officer, still confused, asked after the man passed, “Hey, bro… who was that?”
His partner waved him off. “Don’t worry. That’s our informant for this operation.”
He pointed to the headset. “HQ just told us—if the code matches, let them through.”
The younger officer scratched his head. “What about the numbers he recited at first? Why do they sound so familiar…”
“Are you dumb?” the partner snapped, tapping him on the shoulder, then pointed upward. “Those are our boss’s police ID numbers.”