Chapter 19: The Priceless Blood Diamonds
Ultimately, Li Xiao decided to head to the Island Nation to stir up some trouble. With its countless gangs, it was the perfect place to cause a ruckus without getting caught.
However, simply showing up there unannounced wouldn't work. So, Du Xin took Li Xiao to see Zhao Yang.
They met outside the Sheng Hua Jewelry Store. Having arrived in a bit of a rush, they hadn't realized until then that this particular jewelry store was actually affiliated with Old Man Chen. Upon entering, Du Xin was immediately escorted by an attendant to a private reception room in the back—a courtesy Zhao Yang had evidently arranged in advance.
Du Xin and Li Xiao waited in the reception room for a short while before Zhao Yang arrived.
"Mr. Du, I never imagined you possessed such an illustrious background! I was truly shortsighted before; please accept my apologies for any unintentional disrespect."
The moment he appeared, Zhao Yang hastened to offer his apologies, shaking hands with both Du Xin and Li Xiao in turn.
"Manager Zhao, it's all just business—strictly professional, as they say."
Offering a polite reply, Du Xin exchanged pleasantries with Zhao Yang for a few moments before finally steering the conversation toward the matter at hand.
"Mr. Du, are you looking to sell gold again this time?"
"Not exactly. I imagine you're already aware of what *truly* valuable assets I possess; gold, by comparison, simply doesn't cut it."
"Are you referring to... the 'Heart of the Rainbow'?"
Zhao Yang shot up from the sofa in astonishment. Although the thought had crossed his mind previously, he had dismissed it as utterly unrealistic—after all, how many gemstones of the "Heart of the Rainbow" caliber existed in the entire world? Yet now, hearing it confirmed directly from Du Xin's own lips, Zhao Yang's initial shock gave way to a surge of intense excitement.
"It's not quite *that* magnificent, but it comes pretty close."
Du Xin offered a few further words of explanation, allowing Zhao Yang to regain his composure somewhat. He sank back onto the sofa, his face beaming with excitement—an emotion he made no attempt to conceal. In his estimation, Du Xin was far more knowledgeable than he was regarding the true market value of colored diamonds.
Du Xin reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of dazzling, multicolored diamonds. *This*—this was where the real excitement began.
Zhao Yang nearly fainted on the spot. Seriously.
What was he seeing? *Blood Diamonds!* And three carats each, at that! "Du! Mr. Du! What on earth—did you rob a national treasury somewhere? Blood! A blood diamond!"
Looking utterly bewildered, Du Xin scratched his head. To him, all colored diamonds were essentially the same; that was why he had simply created a few more with roughly similar hues—and in his eyes, they were all just "small" three-carat stones.
It took several deep breaths before Zhao Yang finally managed to compose himself. In truth, Sheng Hua was originally a company belonging to the Zhao clan; he himself was the second young master of the Zhao Group. Having lost out in the battle for corporate succession, he had been relegated to developing the business in this small provincial city. Given the sheer magnitude of his family's wealth, he was not the type to feel envious of mere riches; however, this particular blood diamond represented something far beyond simple wealth!
Having regained his composure, Zhao Yang retrieved a clean silk handkerchief from a nearby table—a cloth he typically used when handling diamonds and other jewelry. He carefully arranged all the colored diamonds upon it—paying particular attention to that blood-red stone—before finally collapsing back onto the sofa, utterly drained.
"Manager Zhao, is there something wrong with these diamonds?"
Zhao Yang immediately cast a puzzled look in his direction. For a fleeting moment, he had actually considered pocketing the entire batch of diamonds for himself; however, the thought of how casually Du Xin had produced these stones—without a shred of fear or even the slightest pang of regret over giving away fifty million—made him instantly abandon that idea.
"Does Mr. Du truly not know?"
Seeing the look of genuine confusion in Du Xin's eyes, Zhao Yang felt compelled to explain it himself.
"Mr. Du, the diamond right there in the center is a *blood diamond*. Its value is a hundred thousand times that of gold! It is known as the most precious diamond in existence—a rarity so extreme that it is considered the 'diamond among diamonds'! At one of the most renowned gemstone auctions in history, a blood diamond was put up for sale; that particular stone weighed 2.23 carats! And the final hammer price... was 42 million... US dollars!"
"*Hiss*..."
A collective sharp intake of breath echoed through the reception room as Du Xin finally displayed a flicker of genuine shock.
"You mean to tell me that *this single stone* is worth several times more than that entire necklace I gave away yesterday?! Damn it—what a total rip-off!"
Zhao Yang was baffled once again. If a blood diamond was worth *that much*, how could Du Xin possibly claim he had "lost out"? It simply made no sense! "Mr. Du, why do you say that? Isn't it a good thing that the blood diamond is so valuable?"
"Uh... nothing, really. I'm just happy—very happy."
Completely unbothered by Du Xin's perfunctory tone, Zhao Yang finally steered the conversation back to the main topic.
"Mr. Du, you simply *must* let us auction this blood diamond for you. We are willing to waive our auction fees entirely—down to the very last cent! And as for these colored diamonds? Our company will auction those for you free of charge as well!"
Du Xin grew even more puzzled. Were they not planning to buy the gems themselves? Still, he didn't particularly care; ultimately, it was all about selling them for cash. Presumably, they were simply eyeing the potential economic benefits to be gained from the exposure.
"Alright then, go ahead and handle it. Oh—by the way, could you arrange for my friend here to get over to Japan?"
Now it was Zhao Yang's turn to look puzzled. Go to Japan? Surely that was a simple enough thing to arrange?
Catching the look of confusion in Zhao Yang's eyes, Du Xin realized he needed to offer an explanation.
"It's just... well, his family doesn't know he's heading to Japan. Also, he's already resigned from his job; could you perhaps put him on your company's payroll—just on paper, as a formality? Furthermore, it's crucial that no one finds out he's actually gone to Japan. Ideally, everyone should be led to believe that he's been working right here at your firm the entire time."
Du Xin's words actually served to put Zhao Yang's mind at ease. In his view, it now seemed obvious: Li Xiao was an intelligence operative heading to Japan to carry out a mission, and Du Xin himself had clearly become an asset of the state. The only thing that still baffled him was the diamonds; a blood diamond of this magnitude was practically a national treasure! Could they be—illicit goods?
"They aren't illicit; their provenance is entirely legitimate. It's just that the details are... difficult to explain. Oh, and one more thing: when you auction them off, don't mention that they belong to me. And as for the proceeds? Give every single penny to Li Xiao!"
"Mr. Du? We're talking about at least a billion here—and that's just a rough estimate! The blood diamond alone is easily worth a hundred million dollars!"
Zhao Yang finally understood the true meaning of "wealth." Judging by the look of utter bewilderment on Li Xiao's face—a look mirroring his own—it was abundantly clear that these gemstones had absolutely *nothing* to do with Li Xiao.
"It's fine. There's plenty more where that came from."
"*More*?!"
His voice nearly shattered the soundproof walls of the conference room. Zhao Yang's eyes darted wildly; he felt as though his mind were about to snap. World-class treasures like these—and you claim you have *more*?! It was simply too much excitement to handle!
"Relax! Go ahead and take your standard commission on the auction—exactly as you normally would. I'm certainly not going to quibble over a few bucks."
With those words, and without waiting for Zhao Yang to recover from his shock, Du Xin turned and walked out of the reception room. "I'm off now. Remember to find me once you've got everything sorted out regarding Li Xiao."
They walked all the way out to the street; Du Xin appeared completely unfazed—as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened—while Li Xiao, on the other hand, had yet to calm down. Ten billion! That was enough money to fill an entire room, wasn't it?
"Third Bro! That's so much money! Ten *billion*! You could probably carpet an entire building with that cash!"
"What's ten billion? You have to understand: the stone that gave you your superpowers is something money can't buy—not for anyone. You're a superhero now, after all; having a ton of money isn't really all that useful."
Hearing Du Xin's words, Li Xiao finally settled down. It was true: superpowers were priceless—especially the kind Uncle Wolf possessed—granting immortality and invulnerability to everything short of an Adamantium bullet. When he really thought about it, that was far more valuable than any amount of money.
Two days later, a blood-red diamond dubbed the "Holy Blood of Jesus" set the entire jewelry world—and indeed, the entire globe—ablaze. Within less than an hour, news had spread across the planet that, three months hence, the Holy Blood of Jesus would be put up for auction at the Shenghua Auction House in "Modu" (Shanghai). The announcement made everyone aware that there now existed a blood-red diamond of even greater beauty than the legendary "Rachi."
Over the ensuing three months, the Shenghua Shanghai Auction House hosted more than a dozen high-caliber auctions to build anticipation for the main event. The headline lots at these preliminary auctions were invariably rare and valuable colored diamonds—each worth millions, or even tens of millions.
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