The next day Chen Xiao sat in the passenger seat as a jeep headed for Dachang City. Ouyang Miao drove.
He'd brought her for three reasons. First: she was strong—capable of handling most trouble. Second: her rank as a captain was low enough not to attract excessive attention, high enough not to be dismissed—useful cover. Third: her rule-type talent, the Queen Bee Domain, could overlap rules to suppress Horse-Face–level threats if things went sideways.
"Dachang City's up ahead," Ouyang Miao teased in her usual sarcastic drawl.
Chen Xiao kept his eyes closed, pretending to nap. "When we arrive, you lead the team. Go with the flow. Don't bother me."
"You're the boss," she scoffed. "And you tell me to lead?"
"I said you lead," Chen Xiao corrected flatly. "Want me to punish you in the car?"
She bristled but stayed silent.
In his mind, Dachang City was the heavyweight of the Sanjiang Basin—an alliance that had consolidated eight powerful forces early on. Li Tailong of Shu Mountain, Yang Baiying the Elephant Awakener, and Lin Shengyan with SSS-level power were just the tip of their strength. Compared to Jiangbei, Dachang's powerhouses were in a different league.
The jeep rolled through Dachang's gates. The outskirts looked much like Jiangbei—New Humans everywhere, stains and unidentifiable fluids—but the city had cleared a main lane for incoming vehicles. At the heart of Dachang stood Xingyue Base: a steel-and-stone complex that rose from ruin like a small fortress-city. Towering walls, strict layouts, a wide road network—impressive enough that Chen Xiao mentally noted he should bring Jiang Yunhan here someday to learn how a proper base ran.
The auction took place in the open square called E 洛伊. A massive statue loomed in its center, a guardian monument that gave the venue an almost ceremonial feel. Steps climbed outward, packed with bidders from across the region—leaders of small bases hauling their Evolution Points and hope to trade for meat and supplies.
"The third auction's finally here! The beef I bought last time didn't last a week!" people buzzed.
"Someone's selling an S-rank contract this round!" whispers fluttered—an apocalypse gala with prizes both vital and decadent. Chen Xiao and Ouyang Miao took seats in the front row, eyes on the stage. Around them, chatter rose and fell, but backstage, the real preparations were different.
Two middle-aged men sat at a tea table in Xingyue's hall, their talk lubricated by practiced smiles and a woman performing tea art at their side. The man in green stroked the woman's thigh and laughed: "This should be the last auction. Once we snag the opportunity, I'll be the next Mad Ghost Butcher."
The suited man nodded. "We sent an invitation to Jiangbei, yes? Who'd have guessed he'd actually be in that place."
"Luckily," the man in green sniffed, "he's busy with affairs—he won't interfere." They laughed, convinced the plan would work.
They only guessed half of the truth. Chen Xiao really had been busy—just not in ways they imagined.
At the gate, the security check gave them a once-over. "Where are you from?" the guard barked.
"Jiangbei Triangle," Ouyang Miao answered.
"Token and invitation?"
"Seventh captain—and subordinate." They flashed the pass. The guard hesitated, then waved them through with a nervous joke about the Mad Ghost Butcher. Inside, Xingyue's statue watched over the buzzing crowd.
Backstage, key members fretted over one thing: Evolution Points. They'd sold and scraped everything, pooling all Dachang's power for this last push. If the opportunity didn't materialize this time, the cost would be catastrophic.
Chen Xiao strolled the perimeter, taking the scene in. The auction would run in the square. Bidders would trade goods, barter, and—most important—spend Evolution Points. That clause bothered him. "Can purchase with Evolution Points" meant somebody had found a way to monetize opportunities. That was either brilliant or deadly.
When the auction began, the crowd surged. Pig spirit pork, donkey meat, bottles of alcohol—bids flew, and everyone used Evolution Points as if they were worthless tokens. Most people treated points as expendable. Even bases pooled them carelessly to win supplies. Chen Xiao watched, unimpressed.
Ouyang Miao leaned in. "What's Xingyue doing with all those points?" she asked.
"Who knows," Chen Xiao said. "But if Evolution Points can be spent, Xingyue must be hiding something big."
She shrugged. "I have over five thousand."
Chen Xiao blinked. "How much?"
"Over five thousand." She said it with casual pride.
He'd been counting, too—50,000, roughly, thanks to the top three families and the blood they'd shed. Evolution Points stacked fast when you killed elites. But an ordinary auction for food wouldn't explain the hush about the big prize. Chen Xiao suspected the organizers were hoarding points for something born from the first Blood Moon.
When the pork went for eight thousand points and the next lot rolled through, Chen Xiao barely glanced. Ouyang Miao, at his insistence, bid—then paid Evolution Points for a modest tranche of chicken and was escorted backstage to collect it.
There, two men approached: one in cyan introduced himself as Lin Shengyan, third leader of Xingyue Base; the other, in a suit, was He Xiangliu, a squad leader. Lin smiled thinly. "Jiangbei Triangle—honored. If you have Evolution Points, we can exchange them for supplies."
Ouyang Miao blinked. "How do I pay?"
Lin's smile widened. "Place your hand on that stone. We'll take the points and give you the chicken."
He Xiangliu gestured toward a large stone covered with a black cloth. Ouyang Miao, naive about opportunities, did as instructed. A faint light leaked through the cloth. Chen Xiao watched her face change. She fed him the numbers silently—five hundred thousand needed; currently 439,000 had been pooled.
Chen Xiao's eyes narrowed. This was no simple supply exchange: this thing required a near-astronomical amount of Evolution Points. Whatever it was, it was worth everything.
Then chaos. Lin Shengyan was ambushed—stabbed in the back—blood gushing. He collapsed, whispering incoherently. He Xiangliu laughed like a man unburdened. "With your strength, you don't deserve this opportunity," he mocked. "Neither do I."
Betrayal had come suddenly. The apocalypse bred it everywhere.
Chen Xiao stepped forward. "You said neither of you deserves it," he said quietly. "Then give me the opportunity. I deserve it."