"Fifty thousand." Jing Shu narrowed her eyes, danger flashing in them. Honestly, she had no idea why this disaster had landed on her head out of nowhere.
That rocket launcher had been sitting there with nobody wanting it at first, you could tell from everyone's faces. The fat cop had called out several times and nobody raised a hand, then that guy suddenly decided to bid against her.
Even if the man had more money than sense, there was no way he really needed the thing. Jing Shu didn't see any urgency in his eyes. It felt like he was bidding just to mess with her. He'd already raised his paddle twelve times, each time pushing the price sky-high. A few of those weapons were ones Jing Shu had been eyeing, but he bought them up just to spite her.
And when it came to the more ordinary stuff, he didn't bother bidding at all. That was suspicious. Everyone needed guns, yet he deliberately avoided them.
What was even weirder was how it all felt targeted. She'd been sitting quietly, keeping a low profile, not offending anyone. So why did it seem like this guy had made it his mission to pick on her?
"We don't have any grudges, so why's he acting like this? No normal person with a working brain would do that," she thought, shifting her gaze between the fat cop, the man in the suit, the dozing old gentleman, and the expressions of the others in the room.
She felt like she was onto something.
"Sixty thousand. I don't want the rocket launchers for anything serious, just thought they'd look cool in my collection. It's not like I'm short on cash. What, you still gonna fight me for it?" The man in the suit dusted off his trouser leg and smirked.
"Seventy thousand."
The room went dead quiet. The price had been pushed way too high. Even before the apocalypse, rocket launchers weren't worth much, and now they were about the same value as an ordinary gun. After all, they were cheap to produce and China had stockpiles of them.
"Heh, eighty thousand. I'll play along. Let's see if you've got the guts to follow."
Jing Shu had thought about using her illusions to shut him up, but then she caught sight of the fat cop, mouth wide open, his beady eyes flashing her not-so-subtle hints. Something clicked in her head.
Oh, so that's the game.
"I'll take it." She smiled. "But you can play by yourself. I'm out."
Please, there's no such thing as random hate or random goodwill. They were strangers, and when he first saw her, his eyes nearly popped out of his head, yet he still spewed that nonsense.
If this guy wasn't a shill, she'd eat her little finger. And dressing like a peacock to advertise your wealth? Clearly asking for trouble.
The fat cop froze.
So did the man in the suit. His jaw clenched, but with so many people watching, he could only force a grin and say, "I can afford it. Too bad you can't."
"Congrats," Jing Shu said sweetly. "Eighty thousand for ten rocket launchers that cost a few hundred each. What a deal."
"You'd better keep bidding or you'll end up at the bottom."
"Don't trouble yourself."
A little regret stirred in her chest. She rarely saw something she actually liked, only to get dragged into a shill's game. Never thought she'd one day run into a shill herself. She gave the man in the suit a slow once-over. He was good, she had to admit. Didn't look like one at all, but his job was clear, raising bids to stir the pot.
So that's why he seemed to dislike her the moment she showed up.
The fat cop was bleeding inside but had no choice but to keep the auction rolling. Item after item went out, while Jing Shu and the old gentleman still hadn't bought a thing. They were the only two with nothing in hand as the auction neared its end. She started wondering if she should just throw money on something random, when the door to the makeshift conference hall opened.
Not one person entered, but a whole group.
"Well, if it isn't Captain Li." The fat cop forced a smile, but his teeth ground together.
Li Yuetian strode in with a dozen armed officers and boomed, "Snatching one of my VIPs, huh? Not cool, buddy. You can take the others, but this one's mine. Big orders are riding on this boss."
The fat cop's face darkened. "How big?"
"Over a million. Mess this up and—"
"Fine, fine, take them." The fat cop waved impatiently.
Li Yuetian pointed straight at Jing Shu. "Come on. What are you doing here? You didn't buy anything, did you? Even if you did, it doesn't count, you're not from this district."
Everyone turned, eyes landing on Jing Shu.
She stood, a little stunned. Damn, Li Yuetian's timing couldn't have been better. Before leaving, she leaned in and whispered to the man in the suit, "Not bad, just a little clumsy with the act. Better luck next time."
His face went dark green.
The whole room looked on with envy. So the quiet, low-key woman was actually the most badass person there, important enough that someone came to escort her personally. The fat cop didn't even argue, even though earlier he'd tried every trick to hold her back. Now people were whispering, wondering just who this VIP No. 3 really was.
Jing Shu, however, was worried. Had she just jumped from one pit into another?
Outside, she asked, "What's going on? You came just for me? I never told you my business. I could've settled this with a few tens of thousands, no need to owe you a favor. Money's easy, favors are a pain."
"As one of the bosses of Xishan, of course I've gotta help you out. Didn't see anything you liked in there? Whatever they've got, we've got too. Same system."
"You got rocket launchers? How much? And don't tell me you've got shills too."
Li Yuetian rubbed his chin. "I'll give you a flat price, twenty thousand. And yeah, of course there are shills. Want me to hire you to play one?"
That was actually pretty fair. All that bidding war inside, and out here they went for a reasonable price.
"Forget it, I'm not cut out for stirring hate. By the way, you said I'm one of Xishan's bosses. Did something happen with Big Boss Qian Duoduo again?" Her gloomy mood evaporated as curiosity took over.
"That's a long story. Just wait for the news. I'm here on orders. Just press your fingerprint here."