Chapter 331 – On a Dark and Windy Night

Overall, Su Ming was quite satisfied with this harvest.

The final prices for the Phantom Demon Blood and Ghoul Claw were quite decent. Although they were far lower than the price fetched by the Red Vein Stone, it made perfect sense since both items were unprocessed raw materials that couldn’t command premium prices.

The Phantom Demon Blood remained just that—Phantom Demon Blood. To be usable, it required skilled alchemists to refine it into Phantom Demon Potion. Moreover, many participants in the auction were scions of major Hunter Families who had no need for Phantom Demon Potion. Selling it for 350,000 Contribution Points was already quite good.

The same logic applied to the Ghoul Claw—it was merely a material. Whether one intended to craft it into alchemical weapons or other items, further processing and specialized techniques were required. Only through the hands of skilled alchemists could its potential be maximized, and its final form remained uncertain. That it sold for 180,000 Contribution Points was already the result of Qin Qing’s efforts.

Thus, the auction results for these two items weren’t bad at all.

The price of the Red Vein Stone, however, was absurd.

A final bid of 1,500,000 Contribution Points was something even Su Ming hadn’t anticipated, leaving him utterly astonished.

“I underestimated how attractive this item would be to Hunter Families and Professional teams,” Su Ming reflected deeply.

The price of the Red Vein Stone had undoubtedly been inflated by numerous additional factors.

The auction of multiple Red Vein Stones as a bundle was one reason, but the impact it could bring to various factions was another crucial factor.

For A-rank teams like ‘Summer Chasing Smoke,’ who were striving to reach S-rank, having an additional Six-Star Professional could significantly boost their success rate. Coupled with the high-profile nature of this auction, securing the final featured item would generate substantial buzz and positively influence the team’s expansion. All these reasons combined caused the value of this strategic resource, sought after by every Hunter Family, to skyrocket repeatedly.

Regardless, Su Ming had undoubtedly made a massive profit this time.

Even Qin Qing remarked on it.

“Earning over two million Contribution Points in one go—such a huge windfall even makes me envious,” Qin Qing said to Su Ming with a light laugh.

“Envious?” Su Ming put away his Terminal, smiling faintly. “For the Wanbao Auction House, this amount shouldn’t be anything to envy, should it?”

Unlike factions like the Zhang Family, which needed to allocate their earned Contribution Points toward training the next generation, managing the family, sponsoring talents, accumulating resources, and expanding their influence—thus preventing them from freeing up excessive liquid assets in a short time—the Wanbao Auction House was a pure money-making machine. In terms of wealth alone, it far surpassed those family and team factions that earned a lot but spent just as much.

While the Zhang Family needed three days to gather two million Contribution Points, the Wanbao Auction House had, without batting an eye, purchased a large batch of Extraordinary Items from Su Ming a few days prior, immediately granting him 800,000 Contribution Points. That was proof enough.As the top auction house in Tianfeng City, the daily turnover here was enough to make even Super Families envious.

Two million?

For the Wanbao Auction House, even if this wasn’t trivial pocket change, it was still funds that could be mobilized with ease.

Su Ming didn’t consider 2,000,000 Contribution Points to be particularly substantial either.

If others could raise this amount in just three days, could it really be considered a lot?

If it were truly significant, today’s attendees wouldn’t be the young scions of various Families and major factions, but rather the high-ranking figures who truly held decision-making power within those major organizations.

Besides, just a few days ago, Su Ming had blown through 800,000 Contribution Points the moment he obtained them. These 2,000,000 Contribution Points probably wouldn’t stay in his possession for long either.

In any case, Su Ming planned to spend them as soon as possible, converting them into cost-effective materials that could be exchanged for crystal chips or resources for enhancing his strength, rather than hoarding them like savings for the new year.

This was also because ‘Azure Mercury’ wasn’t some large-scale team that required substantial funds for operation and maintenance. The contracts signed by team members didn’t demand any compensation either, leaving Su Ming completely unburdened.

If this were a major organization, he’d probably have to invest half or even all of this income into future operations and development plans for the team.

Of course, Su Ming had his own plans too, so these Contribution Points truly couldn’t be kept for long.

Professionals’ Contribution Points basically never stayed put—otherwise, how would they improve their strength?

So-called Contribution Points existed precisely to be exchanged for resources and power.

Not spending them would actually be the real problem.

“How about helping me gather a new batch of supplies, Chief Qin?Su Ming made this request to Qin Qing.

“More supplies?” Qin Qing looked deeply at Su Ming and said, “Young Master Wang seems to urgently need large quantities of cheap materials. Anyone who didn’t know better would think you’re preparing for war.”

“Perhaps.” Su Ming curled his lip, ignoring Qin Qing’s probing gaze as he said leisurely, “If fighting for my own future counts as war, then yes.”

No matter how profound the meaning behind these words might be, even Qin Qing couldn’t possibly decipher it.

“I’ll help Young Master Wang gather all the supplies you need.” Qin Qing pondered for a moment before saying, “I hope Young Master Wang will put them to proper use.”

Her words too carried profound implications.

After discussing these matters, Su Ming stood up.

“I’ll take my leave then. Until next time.”

Su Ming waved his hand and turned to leave without any hesitation.

“Won’t you exchange contact information first, Young Master Wang?”

Qin Qing also stood up.

“No need.” Su Ming replied without turning back. “When the time comes, I’ll naturally appear.”

With that, Su Ming walked out of Qin Qing’s lounge.

Leaving Qin Qing alone, standing there in a daze. Only after a while did she let out a wry laugh.

“I never thought there’d come a day when I’d actively ask someone for their contact details, only to be rejected.”

Wang Yue—this mysterious powerhouse—had given her yet another novel experience.

…

By now, night had fallen.

The area before the Wanbao Auction House remained bustling with activity, though it no longer featured the endless stream of luxury cars and important figures that had characterized the daytime scene.People were coming and going through the main entrance, discussing today’s auction that had taken place on the Third Floor.

The final item, which sold for 1,500,000 Contribution Points, naturally became the center of their conversations.

As Su Ming exited the auction house, he faintly overheard words like “Red Vein Stone,” “Xu Xiayan,” and “A-rank team,” indicating they were fully aware of the auction’s proceedings and final outcome.

In contrast, Su Ming—who carried 2,000,000 Contribution Points and was the provider of that final item—went completely unmentioned in their discussions. Unnoticed by anyone, he blended into the crowd as he left the auction house.

Lifting his head to glance at the darkening sky, Su Ming suddenly smiled.

Nearby, two Professionals passed in front of him, engrossed in conversation.

By the time the two had moved away, Su Ming’s figure had already vanished from the spot, disappearing without a trace.

……

Bang!

Inside the cabin of a luxurious limousine, an expensive bottle of red wine was violently smashed against the floor, shattering upon impact.

Zhang Chen seemed to be venting his fury—first throwing the wine glass, then the bottle, and finally overturning a nearby rack. His chest heaved violently, his face dark and stormy.

Liu Zai stood by his side, head bowed, not daring to utter a word. His trembling demeanor resembled that of a cowardly minor character afraid for his life.

As for the driver, he didn’t even dare make a sound, focusing solely on driving and carefully avoiding the line of fire.

After an indeterminable amount of time, Zhang Chen finally calmed down.

Then, without another word, he issued an order to Liu Zai.

“For the foreseeable future, you and your team are to do nothing else,” Zhang Chen’s voice seethed with anger. “Investigate Wang Yue’s identity thoroughly. If you fail, your team will never take on another mission.”

“U-understood.” Liu Zai didn’t dare refuse, trembling as he accepted the directive.

It was clear that in the coming days, both Zhang Chen and Liu Zai would prioritize investigating Su Ming’s identity and taking action against him.

This undoubtedly indicated one thing:

Zhang Chen had thoroughly marked Su Ming for vengeance.

“Even if you really are from the Wang Family this time, I won’t let you off,” Zhang Chen muttered through gritted teeth. “If I can’t kill you, I’ll at least make sure you regret crossing me.”

Recalling everything that had happened today, the fury in Zhang Chen’s heart refused to subside.

He had had his eye on Qin Qing for a long time, coveting her intensely, yet she remained utterly cold toward him. Even when he shamelessly clung to her, he was met with nothing but disdain.

Previously, Zhang Chen hadn’t thought much of it.

After all, he wasn’t the only one Qin Qing treated this way.

To this day, she showed no particular favor to any man, so Zhang Chen never felt he was at a disadvantage.

But today, he truly felt the difference.

Toward him, Qin Qing remained as aloof as ever.

But toward Su Ming, her attitude was entirely different.

Though subtle, just seeing how Qin Qing was willing to share a sofa with Su Ming told Zhang Chen that, in her heart, that Wang Yue was probably someone special.

This realization left Zhang Chen deeply unsettled and resentful.If that were all, it would have been fine.

The problem was, Su Ming’s complete disregard for his dignity made Zhang Chen genuinely furious.

And what happened at the auction made Zhang Chen hold a deep grudge against Su Ming.

Even if he had targeted Su Ming first, it didn’t matter.

“Fortunately, I made him suffer too.”

Zhang Chen turned his head and looked at the seat beside him.

There lay a small cane, a bottle of alchemical potion, and an overcoat.

Exactly the three auction items Su Ming had set his sights on.

“If you want something, I can make sure you don’t get it either.”

Zhang Chen sneered coldly.

Until a sharp whistling sound cut through the sky from the horizon.

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(End of Chapter)