Jing Shu asked for five cars first because she knew five would not be enough. If it fell short later, she could add more. Ten at once felt a bit… cough, excessive.
"Five cars? Is she crazy? What does she need that many for?"
"Classic case. The rich do not need them, the poor cannot afford them. Charging an energy car costs several virtual coins every time, and if it breaks you cannot get it fixed. Who has coins to burn?"
"And she wants that many fuel burners too. How much oil does her family have?"
Even though Jing Shu spoke quietly, the room was stunned.
Chen Nan was the most shocked. She had expected no one here to lack cars and had put these lots up mostly to add color for Su Mali.
Worried no one would bid, she had even included one energy car and slashed the price to a semi-giveaway. She had not expected someone to open with a bundle of five. Chen Nan's heart dripped blood.
Su Mali snorted a laugh. Yesterday, Chen Nan had sworn that even at bundle pricing they would never sell. Who would buy that many at once? Even scalpers would have to give Chen Nan face.
"What is it? You are not selling?" Jing Shu asked, voice low.
"No, no. I just want to ask, will you drive all of them yourself?" Chen Nan said.
All eyes tilted toward Jing Shu again. She thought it over. The RV was not a secret anymore, and its refit would need piles of hardware. The people here might even help her source parts. So she said:
"I am going to do a major refit on an RV, boost its functionality and safety. I will need a lot of components and advanced vehicle systems."
Now many present understood. With no specialized supplies and all factories closed to civilians, you could only rob Peter to pay Paul. Junkyard parts were useless, they would not match an RV.
"Never noticed before, but now it is clear. Jing Shu is real money."
"Buying luxury cars at 800 virtual coins is not to drive them, but to strip them for the RV. That is some serious wealth."
"Jing Shu already has the shark submarine and a red BYD. Her family has an RV. I circled her villa yesterday and found a massive warehouse out back. I bet it is full of vehicles."
Chen Nan exhaled in relief.
"That makes sense. Better to have an RV ready in case another disaster hits so you can run. How about this. My family still has a conversion shop. I will cover all the RV refit materials. Better than piecing together random parts, right? You can come to the shop and point to whatever you want. I only provide materials. Labor is on you."
She had done the math. That would lose less than selling a fully modified vehicle outright.
Jing Shu's expression went odd. She coughed. "That might not be great for you. My RV is on the large side. It will take a lot of material. What if we settle by actual materials used?"
Chen Nan waved grandly. "How much can it take? You think it will be more than five cars' worth?"
"How about we count it at the ten-car bundle price. What I need is really not a small amount. If it goes over, I will make it up later."
Since there was an active conversion factory with proper tools, she would not be shy. Her dream of a lift-up two-story mobile mansion could become real.
Hearing that Jing Shu was not just being polite, Chen Nan finally asked, "Oh, right. What kind of RV is it?"
"German MAN Armadillo Conqueror F RV."
"Conqueror? What is that?"
"Old news. Before the apocalypse the top spec went for ten million. Several times larger than a normal RV."
A chorus of sharp breaths ran through the classmates.
Chen Nan's mouth fell open. It was not the price that stunned her. Anyone sitting here had been worth hundreds of millions before the fall. It was the sheer size. That rig would gobble materials.
"I do not remember Wu City having one of those," Chen Nan said, nearly in tears.
Jing Shu coughed. "I brought it back from America a few days ago."
"A promise from Chen Nan is a promise. Eight hundred virtual coins. Whatever you need for the conversion, I will cover it."
Even losing a few thousand virtual coins was pocket change to her. Face mattered more.
"Alright, thank you then." Since Chen Nan insisted, Jing Shu let it be. Later she could tally the actual usage and repay in kind as a gift. Debts of favor were the hardest to clear.
With most of the RV materials settled, Jing Shu's mood lifted. Today had been worth coming.
The third course was caviar steamed egg. Eggshells were carved with toothed rims and little patterns, the seasoned custard steamed inside each shell, then topped with a thumbnail of red caviar.
A tiny spoon scooped caviar and custard together. Slurp. Perfection.
Legend had it that exactly thirteen spoonfuls made the flavor linger longest on the tongue.
By Jing Shu's second spoon, the classmates were nearly scraping their shells clean. She narrowed her eyes. Maybe she should source some roe herself. It was too good.
"The third auction lot is a leftover batch of steel from the artificial sun project. Not much, only a few dozen tons. Cutting and processing included. Single price 4,000 virtual coins, or trade for oil."
Su Mali added that a friend had asked her to help sell it fast.
"The price is good."
"But what would you do with it? You could not flip it."
"My family is shifting to agriculture. We plan to plant more fruit and vegetables this year."
Steel had endless uses, but the factories were all shut. Aside from the artificial sun work, no major projects remained. People could barely eat. Who would build anything else?
It was about to pass with no bids when Jing Shu said softly, "If no one wants it, I will take it."
She truly did not want to stick her head up, but the boulders in her space had been destroyed, a month of sweat gone. The bombing had proved how good the boulders were as a secret weapon for defense and blast protection.
Steel would be better. Harder, reusable, more destructive when needed, and this might be the last batch of that grade ever made. It deserved to be called a treasure.
"Total tycoon."
"She really has money."
"What does she need steel for?"
"She has a use, obviously. Four thousand virtual coins without batting an eye. Her family is not lacking food."
"No kidding. She probably has a whole pool of crayfish. You think she lacks anything?"
…
The fourth course was boeuf bourguignon.
"I counted three pieces of beef. I chewed forty-nine times and it was gone."
"Two carrot chunks, one sprig of cilantro, one clove of garlic, one sip of wine."
"I dabbed the beef in the sauce a dozen times before I dared eat it."