Chapter 50-Part 1

Two days flew by in the blink of an eye.

Of course, this was just Zhao Min’s personal opinion.

Many people were desperately trying to get an invitation to the auction, using all their connections and favors.

Sleepless nights, irritability, sallow faces, and haggard looks—many were exhausted by their efforts.

For them, those two days felt as long as a week.

On the day of the auction, Zhao Min arrived at the auction venue early with his photographer.

According to the auction house’s rules, once an item is confirmed for auction, it must be handed over to the auction house for safekeeping.

Given his own lack of strength to protect the potion and the fact that the auction house had a strong military background, Zhao Min felt it was safer to hand over the two vials of the potion to them.

However, Zhao Min still felt uneasy.

To prevent any tampering, he cautiously made a request to the auction house.

Before the auction, he wanted to inspect the goods one more time.

The auction house manager had never seen someone so distrustful, but given that Zhao Min held a legendary gene purification potion, which was great for publicity, they made an exception.

Zhao Min meticulously inspected the two vials and finally confirmed, “No problem, these are the potions I submitted.”

The auction house manager resisted the urge to roll his eyes, thinking that they were a legitimate company with strict rules.

If someone had verified that the potions were safe, maybe someone might take a risk and steal them.

After all, who would steal two vials of an untested potion?

He remembered asking Zhao Min this, and Zhao Min quickly replied, “You can test it on death row inmates, and if there are no problems, you can use the other vial.”

“…”

What a reasonable suggestion.

The manager felt he understood something deeper, seeing how quickly Zhao Min came up with such a ruthless idea.

After applying to higher authorities, the manager specially approved Zhao Min’s request to inspect the potion before the auction.

Fortunately, Zhao Min confirmed everything was in order after the inspection.

**

The auction was about to begin.

Participants were gradually entering with their invitations and being escorted to various private rooms by the staff.

Zhao Min glanced around and noticed cameras installed around the venue.

The cameras would transmit clear images and sounds from the auction stage to the screens in the private rooms.

The auction house staff informed Zhao Min that his potions were scheduled to be the second-to-last item, intended as the finale.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Min and his photographer entered a private room near the auction stage.

This was a special arrangement by the auction house, allowing him to go on stage during the potion auction.

The auction has officially started.

The host was a lively young woman around twenty-five, dressed in a cheongsam with a high slit, full of enthusiasm and charm, using a seductive tone to introduce each item.

Unfortunately, her captivating smile seemed ineffective. The first three items were not bid on and went unsold.

The cheongsam-clad hostess was performing a solo act on stage, with no one responding.

She looked slightly helpless. Everyone knew most people came for the gene potion, and she had suggested auctioning it first to stir up excitement, but the foolish leaders didn’t believe her and insisted on saving it for the finale, thinking it would create a sense of mystery and anticipation.

Now, the venue was dead silent.

By the time the potion was finally up for auction, the foolish leaders might realize she was right.

However, it turned out that the leaders weren’t that foolish.

After the fifth item went unsold, someone brought the potion onto the stage and signaled to the host to change the order.

The hostess understood and loudly announced, “Next, we have a vial of potion called ‘Gene Purification Agent,’ crafted by the chief pharmacist of the Tangmen. I’m sure everyone has seen the report from the research institute confirming that this potion is safe and theoretically can improve one’s genetic level. The auction house has verified the report’s authenticity with the research institute.”

The private rooms were well soundproofed, so only the host’s voice could be heard in the auction hall.

If anyone could see inside the private rooms, they would notice everyone showing expressions of surprise.

“The report is real?” Almost all the rooms were buzzing with discussions about this.

Except for Zhao Min, who was calmly sipping tea with his legs crossed.

The host didn’t give much time for this news to sink in and continued, “According to the maker’s instructions, each person can only drink one vial of the gene purification agent, and it’s only suitable for individuals below S-grade. The starting bid is three million credits. The auction begins now.”

The hostess paused, seemingly waiting for bids, but she knew well that the wealthier people were, the more they feared death.

Even if the research institute said the potion was safe, who would dare drink it without someone else trying it first?

The leaders had specifically instructed her to stir up the atmosphere, making the bidders’ anticipation reach its peak. They told her to announce near the end of the bidding period that the seller was willing to try the potion in public if no one placed a bid.

After two minutes, the hostess smiled confidently and was about to speak when suddenly, the display showed the starting bid—someone had placed a bid.

Her meticulously crafted expression froze. They had said no one would bid, and the seller would need to try the potion!

In the private room, Zhao Min was ready to step out once the host called for him. Seeing the starting bid on the screen, a trace of surprise flashed in his eyes. Selling a vial without anyone trying it, who would dare drink it?

**

In a private room, a well-dressed lady looked distressed.

“Are you sure about this?”

Beside her, a young girl in her early twenties nodded firmly, “They always use my E-grade genes as an excuse to say I’m not qualified to inherit the family business, forcing you to hand over financial control. They run away faster than anyone else when there’s trouble, but they’re shameless when it comes to asking for money. If I become D-grade, I might still be below average, but at least I won’t be seen as worthless, and they will shut up.”

“Liya, I don’t care about the family business. I just want you to be safe!” The lady’s eyes glistened with tears.

Zhou Liya sighed.

“I’ve been dragging you down. Enemies always target you through me because I’m your only weakness. I don’t want to live so pathetically.”

The strong-willed mother only showed vulnerability when facing her.

Seeing her mother’s increasing sadness, Zhou Liya gently comforted her: “Didn’t the research institute say the potion is safe? Nothing will happen. The worst-case scenario is that I stay the same.”

Mother Zhou couldn’t help but sob, “Can’t you wait until someone else tries the potion? No one wants to risk their life. If no one bids, the auction house won’t just sit idly by. They will find someone to try it.”

Zhou Liya remained silent.

She could guess that the auction house had backup plans.

But what would be left for her if the auction house proved the potion’s efficacy and safety?

Fighting tooth and nail with the entire family for a vial of potion?

Even though her mother controlled the family’s finances, she didn’t have absolute power over the Zhou family.

If too much money was spent, others would have opinions and might take the opportunity to criticize her mother.

According to common views in their circle, the more wealth one had, the higher their gene level, and the more precious their life was.

By this measure, her life was the least valuable among the bidders.

She decided to take a gamble and bid early, hoping no one would compete with her.

If the potion’s efficacy was proven later, the price difference between the proven and initial bids would be astronomical.

At the same time, three million credits served as a barrier. Some people wouldn’t be willing to throw that much money away lightly.

This threshold blocked out many, and the unknown efficacy of the drug deterred even more.

More importantly, those with wealth and power had a certain confidence. After someone else tried it and proved it safe, they were sure they could get a bottle for themselves with their resources.

Therefore, Zhou Liya believed she had a good chance of obtaining the drug.

The auctioneer was still stunned, clearly thrown off by the unexpected turn of events.