Stealth Thunder Insects

Tang Yu glanced out the window. Night had already fallen. Checking the time again, he realized it was already past eight in the evening. Remembering that the Commerce Guild's auction house would be auctioning off a Mechanical Clan corpse tonight, he felt a little tempted. He did not need the thing, but it would be good to broaden his horizons. With that in mind, he opened his door, intending to ask Meng Xuanxuan to go out with him.

"Didn't we say yesterday that the Commerce Guild would be auctioning off something good tonight? Even if neither of us wants it, it'd still be good to go and broaden our horizons. We can't come all this way for nothing." Standing outside Meng Xuanxuan's door, Tang Yu spoke to her.

"Ha! I was just about to ask you to go with me!" Meng Xuanxuan laughed when she heard that. She had thought Tang Yu was not interested.

At that moment, the door across from Meng Xuanxuan's room opened as well, and two people emerged: Wang Jing and his elderly attendant.

"Are you two heading to the auction house? I happen to be going too. Why don't we go together?" Wang Jing concealed the sharp glint in his eyes and smiled warmly at them. Yet for some reason, Tang Yu simply could not bring himself to like the man. It was not just because of what Fifth had said about him last night. Mainly, his bald head was just too bizarre.

"It's on the way anyway!"

Tang Yu had been about to refuse when Wang Jing spoke again. Now, it would have been awkward to turn him down.

"Then let's go together." Meng Xuanxuan did not think much of it. When she had first met him, her impression of Wang Jing had not been very favorable either. He was a young man who dressed quite well, yet he insisted on shaving his head bald, which really did not look all that great. But after meeting him several times, Meng Xuanxuan's attitude toward him had changed slightly. He seemed to have a decent temper and treated people kindly.

"My name is Wang Jing. May I ask what the two of you are called?" Wang Jing walked slightly ahead, with Tang Yu and Meng Xuanxuan following close behind. Wang Jing's attendant trailed at the very back.

"Tang Wei. This is my classmate, Lin Xi." Tang Yu answered calmly.

"Oh? Classmates? Are you two taking the college entrance exam this year too? How did you do? Perhaps we'll end up being classmates." For anyone taking the college entrance exam, their first choice would definitely be the Asian Military Academy. There was no question about it. Only those whose scores were insufficient would accept placement at private universities or lower-tier vocational colleges. Of course, more people in that situation chose to repeat their final year instead.

Tang Yu and Meng Xuanxuan both nodded in response. Wang Jing did not seem offended in the slightest and merely continued, "Military training starts in a few days. I heard this year's casualty quota has gone up by several percentage points again. The competition must be brutal. Sigh, with the alien races invading, even us students have to suffer along with everyone else!"

Tang Yu's heart stirred at those words. That was true. Military academy students were reserve forces to begin with. If war broke out on a full scale and fresh troops were needed, then naturally the stronger they were, the better. It was far better to be eliminated during military training than to die in the stars.

As they talked, the four arrived at the Commerce Guild's entrance. A large crowd had already gathered there and was filing inside.

"Four tickets!" Tang Yu had just been about to scan and pay when Wang Jing's attendant beat him to it and bought them.

"Don't stand on ceremony, you two. It's just a small gesture. We may be classmates in the future, so there's no need to fuss over something like this."

"Then thank you, Brother Wang." Since Wang Jing had put it that way, Tang Yu could not say much else. Still, he considered whether he should tell him what he had overheard last night.

The venue was quite dim, but the crowd was orderly. Everyone quietly took their assigned seats.

"Brother Wang, is tonight's main attraction the rumored Mechanical Clan corpse?" The four sat toward the back. Not everyone had arrived yet, and the auction had not started. Tang Yu asked Wang Jing the question as if casually. Meng Xuanxuan was curious as well. She had attended similar auctions before with her father and Qin Bo, but those had been much more formal. Invitations would be delivered well in advance, roughly describing the auction items, and everyone would attend on the appointed day. It was not like this at all.

"That's one of the selling points, but it isn't the main attraction." Wang Jing smiled as he answered. His gaze drifted toward Meng Xuanxuan, though it was impossible to tell what he meant by it. Meng Xuanxuan merely returned his smile politely.

"Everyone, please quiet down!" The hall had been filled with chatter, but the moment that voice rang out, it fell silent. All eyes turned toward the brightly lit area below. A plump middle-aged man stood there, a thick gold chain around his neck gleaming especially brightly. In this day and age, Tang Yu had no idea how anyone could still have such a taste.

"That man is the right-hand aide of the Black Market Commerce president. His strength is anything but ordinary. Rumor has it that his gene count is over four hundred, nearly five hundred!" The slightly hunched old man beside Wang Jing spoke softly.

Tang Yu's heart tightened when he heard that. He had not expected this seemingly unremarkable man to be such an expert. His strength was already close to that of Jin Taian, the director of the Force Martial Arts Gym in Suhang City. Yet he was willing to remain in the Black Market and serve under another. Tang Yu truly could not understand it.

"The usual rules: each bid increase must be no less than ten thousand Federation Credits, and no arguing in the hall!" After saying that, the plump middle-aged man at the center of the stage turned and whispered something to someone behind him. Then someone pushed up an item on a small cart. When the red silk covering was removed, it revealed a transparent glass tank about a foot wide. The tank was filled with water, and if one looked closely, they could see threadlike creatures swimming inside. The longest were shorter than a pinky finger, while the smaller ones were only as long as a finger joint. They emitted a faint blue glow.

"These are Stealth Thunder Insects salvaged last year by an expedition organized by the European Military Academy from the depths of the Demon Sea on Demon Cloud Star. Research has found that when these creatures enter the human body, they remain dormant as long as Force is not used. But once Force is activated, they can send it berserk, increasing the host's combat strength by at least double without affecting the use of Force secret arts! However, there is one thing to note: these little fellows have limited lifespans. They are estimated to remain usable for only another three to five years!"

After explaining this, the plump auctioneer did not immediately announce the starting price. He simply stood there silently, giving everyone time to think.

What did it mean to double one's combat power? Take Tang Yu, for example. His current explosive strength was over 2,000 kilograms, but with this thing, it could rise to more than 4,000 kilograms. How terrifying would that be? Tang Yu could kill a Bona Golden Ape with a single punch! Of course, the downside was obvious. It had a limited duration, and its effects would surely weaken over time. Still, overall, the benefits outweighed the drawbacks.

"The auction begins now. Starting price: one million Federation Credits!" A long while passed after the auctioneer finished speaking, yet no one made a sound. That was normal enough. With the war going on, there was no way to conduct interstellar expeditions. If it could not be used, then the item became somewhat useless.

"1.05 million!" Just as everyone thought the first auction item was about to go unsold, someone finally spoke. However, the increase was not much—only fifty thousand.

That person was seated right beside Tang Yu: Wang Jing.

"What do you want that for?" Meng Xuanxuan asked curiously.

Wang Jing merely gave her a mysterious smile and said nothing.

"1.05 million! Any higher bids?" A trace of a smile finally appeared on the auctioneer's face after someone called out a price.

"1.05 million, going once!"

"1.05 million, going twice!"

"1.05 million, going three times! Sold! Sir, please collect your item from backstage later!" With that, the auctioneer signaled for his staff to push the item away.

The scene Tang Yu had imagined, where the auctioneer brought out some priceless treasure and everyone fought fiercely over it, never appeared. Instead, the very first item had nearly gone unsold.

"What does Brother Wang need that for?" Meng Xuanxuan was not the only curious one. Tang Yu was curious as well. The item seemed powerful, but its limited duration determined its value.

"Don't laugh at me for saying this, Brother Tang, but I have a feeling this year's military training won't be so simple. Wouldn't having this make things safer?"

Tang Yu understood at once. This thing lay dormant within the body, and as long as one did not use Force, it truly would be difficult to detect. If they encountered any danger during military training, then with this item, there really would be little to fear.

At that moment, the Commerce Guild staff pushed out another cart. This time, there was no red silk covering it. A test tube stood upright on the tray, filled with an ink-black liquid. It resembled the Berserk Gene Serum Tang Yu had seen yesterday, though it was slightly different. The black liquid in the tube seemed to be boiling, constantly churning. If the opening had not been sealed, Tang Yu would have suspected that the stuff might burst right out.

"This is the latest X-4 Catalytic Gene Serum developed by Xia Genetic Technology Company. It is stronger than the Berserk Gene Serum, and its safety is more guaranteed. As everyone knows, a gene count of three hundred is a major hurdle. Most martial artists get stuck there, unable to advance, until their Force gradually dissipates and they die in despair. But this item is different. It can greatly stimulate the vitality of the body's cells, allowing you to easily break through a gene count of four hundred or even higher..."