Inside the exhibition hall, the lights blazed bright and the air was warm as spring. Within rows of transparent crystal-glass pillars stood the treasures to be auctioned tonight.
The merchandise was not inanimate objects, but living things—or rather... living Human Puppets.
These Human Puppets were all devastatingly beautiful and came in every variety: delicate girls from modest homes, valiant heroines, and celestial maidens. Some were wrapped up so tightly that only the curves of their bodies could be seen; others were boldly exposed, soft jade flesh displayed in seductive splendor.
Some had fox ears, some were snake women, and some were men who looked like women. Others were the reverse—tomboy types.
Every one of them possessed nearly perfect features and figures, meticulously dressed up to cater to every imaginable preference.
These modified Human Puppets could each flawlessly play a particular role. Their reactions were absolutely genuine—not the responses of pre-programmed routines, but feedback their own brains processed through memory.
They truly believed themselves to be living beings whose strength had been sealed, beings put up for sale. The despair, hatred, unwillingness, fury, resolve to never give up, and will to never submit in their eyes were all "real."
Bai Qinghan silently slipped into the shadows of the auction house.
She ignored the exhibits, her gaze sweeping across the crowd.
Her target was clear: the children of those disaster-relief officials from afflicted regions such as Xishan and the Northern Frontier.
Before long, her eyes settled on a richly dressed youth in a silver robe and a fox-tail scarf.
Flanked by two attendants, he was preparing to head for the more private VIP rooms.
Just as one of the youth's feet stepped onto the stairs leading to the second floor, Bai Qinghan moved.
A wisp of cold wind swept through the air.