Xie Sen frowned. He was angry when he encountered the contracted beast dealers before, knowing it was illegal to buy and sell contracted beasts. Now, knowing that the contracted beasts had been arrested and were about to be auctioned off, he was even angrier.
"Are you feeling unwell?" Mei Yin put her arm around his waist and asked with concern.
Long Teng and Bai Jiao looked at Xie Sen upon hearing this. Xie Sen shook his head and whispered, "There are contracted beasts here, probably also for auction."
Mei Yin's brows immediately furrowed, and a cold glint appeared in her eyes.
Long Teng angrily said, "Contracted beasts are our companions, how can you do this!"
Bai Jiao frowned, "As the number of high-level contracted beasts decreases, the price of high-level contracted beasts on the black market keeps rising. Even if it's dangerous, some people will still be tempted by profit. Contracted beasts are strong in combat, but they are hard to defend against when facing humans."
Long Teng clenched his fist, his tone firm, "I'm going to bid on them and then release them!"
Bai Jiao said, "Ninety percent of the auction price will end up in the hands of contracted beast dealers. They'll get huge profits and become even more unscrupulous."
Long Teng said, "Then what should we do? Just rob them?"
Xie Sen looked at the auction hall. There weren't many people inside, but there were quite a few guards. However, it didn't seem impossible to rob them during the auction. There was a transparent wall between the auction stage and the audience stage, and he didn't know what material it was made of.
He was looking around when his gaze swept over the auction stage and he saw what was being displayed. His lips twitched, "This... this thing starts at ten million?" Isn't this just a cucumber?
Maine glanced at it: "A new species. If it can be successfully cultivated, the profits will be enormous."
Bai Jiao sighed: "Not everyone is like the researchers at the Plant Research Institute. They contribute all their discoveries to the home planet and its development. Many people, upon discovering a new species, choose to exchange it for huge profits." He looked at Xie Sen, his eyes filled with admiration and appreciation.
Xie Sen was taken aback, then smiled. When he provided the plants, he didn't have any grand ideas; he simply wanted to change his own life. He felt a pang of emotion, thinking of many people at the research institute, including the original owner's parents.
He quickly regained his senses: "This transparent wall shouldn't be easy to break, right?"
Maine said, "It's very difficult. This material is extremely hard and has strong defensive capabilities."
Xie Sen pondered for a moment: "Why don't we try to start from the 82nd floor? Little Silver and the contracted beast are both on the first floor. It would be much easier to rescue them together than during the auction."
Maine nodded in agreement: "There are no contracted beasts mentioned in today's auction description. We still have time to prepare. Let's use this time to figure out the floor structure."
Xie Sen watched the cucumber's auction price rise steadily, and his eyes lit up: "I have a good idea."
To avoid attracting attention, the four of them patiently waited until the auction ended and then went directly into Long Teng's room. Originally, they were going to Xie Sen and Maine's room, but considering the room's condition, Xie Sen refused outright.
Xie Sen explained his plan, and the four of them discussed it, decided on their actions for the next day, and returned to their rooms. As
soon as Xie Sen returned to his room, he heard a clear bird call. Tuan Tuan flapped its wings and darted in front of Xie Sen, spun around in place, and looked at him with its round eyes.
Xie Sen knew Tuan Tuan was highly intelligent and understood the meaning behind its actions. He stared at it for a while, then hesitated, "You...have you gotten fatter, no, grown a little?"
"Chirp!" Tuan Tuan flew up and down excitedly, looking incredibly happy.
During this trip, Tuan Tuan hadn't been by his side most of the time, always acting on its own. Only on the spaceship would it stick close to him, especially when cooking, guarding the kitchen to prevent Long Teng from stealing food.
Xie Sen noticed it always returned every night, so he hadn't paid much attention to it; he'd always let it roam freely. He hadn't expected it to grow so quickly. He reached out, and Tuan Tuan landed on his wrist. He felt it; it seemed a little heavier. He gently lifted his hand, and Tuan Tuan flapped its wings and flew away again.
The next morning, the weather on Planet Blue was always fine, and it got light very early. Xie Sen's eyelashes fluttered, and suddenly it got dark. He opened his eyes, his eyelashes brushing against Maine's palm. Maine's kiss immediately landed on his face: "Sorry, I forgot to close the curtains yesterday."
Thinking of last night, Xie Sen's face flushed. They had done it before the auction, but when they got back to the room, Maine kept pestering him, and they had a big fight. He had no idea about closing the curtains.
He turned his head and gave Maine's chin a light bite, his voice a little hoarse: "You jerk."
Maine's deep laughter came from beside Xie Sen's ear. He hugged Xie Sen tightly: "I'm so glad."
Xie Sen scoffed: "Tell me honestly, how many condoms did you bring in your backpack?" He had used several yesterday, all different kinds. Don't think he hadn't noticed.
Maine nuzzled his neck: "A lot. Which kind do you like?"
Xie Sen noticed his reaction and immediately realized that this topic was not suitable to talk about in the morning. He nudged him with his elbow: "Get up, don't keep them waiting."
Maine kissed the back of his neck for a while, then let go and got out of bed to wash up.
At 7:30, the four of them went to the restaurant for dinner. Xie Sen and Mei Yin walked in front, while Long Teng and Bai Jiao walked side by side behind. Suddenly, Long Teng grabbed Xie Sen's shoulder and pointed to the back of his neck: "Ah Sen, do you have bugs in your room? It's red."
Xie Sen immediately understood what was going on and was slightly embarrassed: "No bugs."
Mei Yin removed Long Teng's hand: "Don't touch it."
Long Teng blinked, suddenly realized, and then shouted indignantly: "Wow! That's too much! You got married and didn't even tell me!" This red mark, this possessive behavior, wasn't that exactly how his father and father got along?
Xie Sen looked at him with a complicated expression, not understanding why he would have such thoughts: "We're not married."
Long Teng said: "Liar, Dad said that red marks only appear when partners are together!" He had asked his father about it when he was a child, thinking his father had been bitten by bugs.
Xie Sen chuckled, thinking that he was indeed a pure, hot-blooded protagonist with negative emotional intelligence: "Didn't your dad tell you that couples get these too?"
Long Teng blinked: "No." He leaned closer, full of curiosity, "Why are there red marks? I asked Dad, but he kicked me out and wouldn't let me ask!"
Xie Sen was exasperated; he was neither knowledgeable nor interested in giving sex lessons.
Mei Yin glanced at him: "Why don't you try it yourself and see?" Long Teng
asked doubtfully: "How do I try?"
Mei Yin ignored him and led Xie Sen into the restaurant.
Bai Jiao chuckled and patted the curious boy's shoulder: "We're at the restaurant." Long Teng's thoughts immediately turned to the food, and he quickly rushed to the counter: "What do you have for breakfast?"
After breakfast, the four of them went straight to the fifth-floor lobby. Xie Sen found the contact information on the 81st floor information page, and Bai Jiao dialed the number, putting it on speakerphone.
The call was quickly connected: "Hello, this is the reception area for valuables auctions. How can I help you?"
Bai Jiao: "I would like to have a type of fruit auctioned."
"Fruit?" the customer service representative asked. "What kind of fruit is it, and where does it come from?"
Bai Jiao: "Watermelon. It's a new variety, not currently available on the market."
The customer service representative asked a series of questions about the characteristics of watermelons, seemingly confirming that the item existed, and then said: "Sir, we need you to provide a picture of the item. Once confirmed, someone will contact you."
Xie Sen sent the watermelon photo to Bai Jiao, who then forwarded it to the other party. Shortly after, the call was transferred to another person; the voice on the other end was steady, belonging to a middle-aged man.
He spoke crisply and clearly, explaining the fees and auction process to Bai Jiao, then said, "If you agree to these terms, we'll meet to sign the contract."
Bai Jiao had been waiting for this: "I agree to everything."
Soon after, his bracelet gave him a notification; he had gained access to the 81st floor. The four went upstairs, following the receptionist to the office. They didn't see a single person along the way. Xie Sen discreetly noted the locations of the surveillance cameras as they walked.
They quickly arrived at the office, where Bai Jiao was ushered in, leaving Xie Sen and the other two waiting outside. The man negotiating with Bai Jiao was a serious-looking middle-aged man, the auction manager. His eyes lit up slightly when he saw the watermelon.
The receptionist said to Xie Sen and the other two at the door, "Please don't wander around; please wait a moment."
"Wait, where's the restroom? Excuse me, I think I have a slight seafood allergy," Xie Sen said.
The receptionist's expression remained unchanged as he pointed to the far left: "Over there." He then went into the adjacent office.
Maine whispered, "There's a surveillance camera on each side of the corridor, and all the cameras are embedded in the corners, so there are no blind spots."
Xie Sen nodded and mentally told Xiao Yin, "Okay."
Immediately, a loud alarm sounded on the 82nd floor of Youhai. The security captain in the monitoring room quickly checked the source of the alarm and switched the main video to the biological creatures.
The giant crocodile and giant bear beasts, which had been dizzy from hunger and obediently staying in their cages, seemed to have gone mad, roaring wildly, using their claws, tails, and teeth, making the iron cage rattle loudly, and the sound exceeded the safety limit.
"What's going on? Why did they suddenly go crazy?" The captain's face was very ugly. "Send a doctor over to take a look."
At the same time, Xie Sen heard Xiao Yin say, "There's a lot of noise around, and people are running over in a panic."
Xie Sen said, "Great, they've made them act well." He then said to Long Teng, "Be careful." Long Teng nodded with bright eyes, while Xie Sen clutched his stomach and led Maine into the bathroom.
There were no security cameras in the restroom. Mei quickly checked: "Nobody's here."
Xie Sen said, "Bai Jiao will stall for time as much as possible; we need to be quick."
He summoned Black Fungus and ordered, "Split into two halves and attach them to the lenses!" Black Fungus moved incredibly fast; the two halves separated and flew out, darting to both sides of the corridor and clinging tightly to the lenses.
He squeezed Mei's hand, and Mei immediately led him out of the restroom. The two searched for the entrance to the 82nd floor, covering the lenses at each location and removing Black Fungus as they left.
They were incredibly fast; unless someone was constantly watching the security cameras, it would be difficult to notice the brief blackout.
And now, almost everyone's attention was on the 82nd floor, making this anomaly even less likely to be noticed