Chapter 77

Webin City, located at the southernmost tip of the Nanfeng Region, is a coastal city surrounded by the sea on three sides, with picturesque scenery, making it a famous tourist destination.

The most renowned attraction in the Nanfeng Region, Paradise Beach, is situated in Webin City, where the number of tourists ranks first in the region.

The thriving tourism industry has naturally spurred the development of other sectors.

...

In the evening, a gentle sea breeze carried a refreshing salty scent.

On the outskirts of Webin City, a mansion was brightly lit, with patrol teams frequently seen around it. These individuals were all physically imposing and well-equipped with the latest weapons, demonstrating a highly professional level.

Occasionally, a flicker of light could be seen in the dark corners of the mansion, indicating the presence of hidden sentries that were almost impossible to detect.

This grand mansion was constantly receiving hover cars, with the square filled with various luxury vehicles, and even mini aircraft.

However, the entire mansion was not as bustling as one might imagine; it was rather quiet, with few visitors in sight.

On a distant road, a long hover sedan slowly approached, the latest model in the Xingchi series.

A moment later, the silver-gray extended sedan entered the mansion, and two rows of people were already waiting in the courtyard, standing respectfully on both sides of the gate.

The car door opened, and a man stepped out, tall and slender, dressed in an expensive and well-fitted suit that highlighted his elite demeanor. He had shoulder-length hair, a high nose bridge, and narrow brown eyes, exuding a charming and charismatic aura.

Beside him, a middle-aged man approached, bowed respectfully, and said with a fawning smile, "Mr. Mu, it's so hot today, and you still came here to inspect things in person. You must be very tired. Your dedication to every detail, Mr. Mu, truly sets an example for us all."

The man nodded slightly but said nothing, leading the way as a group of people entered the large building.

They passed through a lavishly decorated hall, and all the attendants waited outside. Only Mr. Mu and the middle-aged man entered the inner area.

The two entered a room, and the middle-aged man hurriedly moved a famous painting on the wall, revealing a digital lock.

Ding, ding, ding...

The middle-aged man skillfully entered the code, and the wall slid open, revealing an elevator. The two entered, and the wall closed again as the elevator began to descend.

At this point, Mr. Mu said, "Manager Wu, has there been any trouble at the venue recently?"

Manager Wu, standing behind, quickly replied, "Mr. Mu, our Mu family is one of the top families in the Nanfeng Region, and we have a good reputation. Who would come to cause trouble? Besides, this auction house is not very large; the small fry don't dare to cause trouble, and the big fish aren't interested."

Mr. Mu nodded and said calmly, "Indeed, with Manager Wu's talent, managing this place is a bit of a waste."

Upon hearing this, Manager Wu's face changed dramatically, and cold sweat appeared on his forehead. He hurriedly said, "Mr. Mu, I didn't mean it that way. I was just stating the facts and absolutely not seeking a promotion. I can barely manage this auction house, and I wouldn't be able to handle other places."

"Ha ha, Manager Wu, in just two months, you've become quite eloquent."

Mr. Mu stood in front of the elevator, his expression calm, and said slowly, "You don't need to be nervous; I'm just stating the facts. Manager Wu has managed this place for many years, and the profits are evident to all. I see it clearly. We reward those who perform well and punish those who make mistakes; that's our family's principle. In a few months, you'll be promoted, whether you can handle it or not, I'll have to push you into it."

Hearing Mr. Mu's words, Manager Wu's eyes lit up with joy, but he still humbly responded, flattering Mr. Mu openly and subtly.

The elevator stopped, and Mr. Mu and Manager Wu stepped out, standing at the entrance of a large warehouse. Workers were busy moving large and small boxes, sorting, placing, and packaging them.

At the front of the warehouse was an exit, from which a noisy sound came. It was an underground auction house. Outside the warehouse was the main hall of the auction house, where an auction was taking place, which explained why there were few visitors in the mansion.

Most of the guests who came to the mansion were here to bid on items they wanted. This was the so-called black market auction.

Mr. Mu did not go to the main hall of the auction house but led Manager Wu to inspect the warehouse. He frequently asked the workers about the situation and occasionally checked the auction items, examining every detail meticulously, not wanting to miss any oversight.

After inspecting for two hours, Mr. Mu finally stopped, nodded in satisfaction, and praised Manager Wu's work.

Looking around, Mr. Mu said loudly, "I am very pleased with everyone's work. This is also support for my work. I sincerely thank all of you, and I will report your achievements one by one."

As soon as he finished speaking, the warehouse erupted in applause, and the workers clapped sincerely.

In the southern part of the Nanfeng Region, the Mu family was the undisputed leader of the underground forces, with power that rivaled the thousand-year-old martial families. Mr. Mu managed one-third of the Mu family's underground auction houses, making him a true authority figure with the power of life and death, and a revered status.

Now that Mr. Mu was praising them, it meant that everyone's summer bonuses were secured and would be quite generous, which was why the workers clapped so enthusiastically.

Manager Wu stepped forward at the right moment and said respectfully, "Mr. Mu, would you like to take a look at the main hall of the auction?"

Mr. Mu waved his hand and said, "No need, I don't like being in the spotlight. Let's go to your office for a while; I need to get back."

Manager Wu quickly agreed and walked ahead, leading Mr. Mu. At the same time, he was secretly overjoyed, knowing that he could soon expect good news about his promotion.

"Huh!"

Mr. Mu suddenly stopped, his nostrils flaring as he seemed to smell something strange. His narrow eyes squinted, and he looked puzzled, "What is this smell?"

"Smell?" Manager Wu turned around in surprise, sniffed twice, and then smiled apologetically, "The smell in the warehouse is indeed unpleasant. There's no way to completely eliminate it, as there are too many goods stored here every day."

Mr. Mu glared at him and said, "I manage so many underground auction houses; do you think I don't know what the warehouse smells like?"

As he spoke, Mr. Mu left Manager Wu and followed the smell, stopping in front of a pile of goods. He sniffed carefully and casually opened a few beautifully packaged auction items. After seeing the contents, he shook his head in disappointment, "No, none of these. Strange, could it be that my sense of smell is off?"

Manager Wu quickly caught up, looking at the opened auction items and said cautiously, "Mr. Mu, is there a problem? These auction items have been professionally appraised and should be fine."

Mr. Mu remained silent. His sense of smell was extraordinary, which was one of the reasons he held this position. The smell in the air was becoming stronger, and Mr. Mu felt it was familiar but couldn't immediately identify the source.

However, his intuition told him that he had to find the source of the smell to truly feel at ease.

Mr. Mu waved his hand and gave an order, "Open all these auction items."

The surrounding workers looked at each other but dared not object, quickly opening the auction items and presenting them to Mr. Mu.

"Not this one, not this one, not this one either."

Mr. Mu inspected each auction item one by one but found none that emitted the smell.

At this moment, a female auctioneer approached and said respectfully, "Mr. Mu, these auction items will be auctioned soon. Can we take them away now?"

Mr. Mu scanned the area again, thinking it might be due to fatigue, and nodded, "Alright, repackage these and take them out for the auction. Thank you all for your hard work."

The workers present breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that if there had been a mistake, it would have been disastrous.

The auction items were repackaged, and Mr. Mu turned to leave. His eyes caught a small box, and he felt a sudden urge to check it. He pointed to the box and said, "What's in this box? A free gift?"

Manager Wu glanced at it and smiled, "This was brought by Mr. Mudong. He said it was garbage that Young Master needed to dispose of, and it was used as a free gift to save costs."

"Oh, it's from Mudong?"

Mr. Mu's expression softened, and he thought for a moment, "Bring it to me. I want to see what kind of garbage Little Tong needs to dispose of this time."

Taking the box from Manager Wu, Mr. Mu prepared to open it. As soon as he opened a small gap, the smell in the air intensified tenfold. Through the gap, he saw what was inside.

A red crystal container, with a mold-like object inside, covered in a layer of white fuzz about half an inch long.

Mr. Mu's face changed dramatically, his eyes widening, and his pupils contracting to a pinpoint.

Snap!

Mr. Mu quickly closed the box, his expression changing rapidly before gradually returning to calm. He asked in a low, solemn voice, "Did Mudong only bring this one item?"

Manager Wu was taken aback, not understanding the situation, and said truthfully, "No, Mr. Mudong brought six such items."

"Six!"

Mr. Mu's voice trembled, and he took a deep breath. After a long pause, he said in a self-mocking tone, "Garbage, items to be disposed of?"

Standing beside him, Manager Wu felt extremely uneasy. He sensed that Mr. Mu was in a state of extreme anger, a rare occurrence. He had worked for the Mu family for nearly 150 years and had only encountered this twice.

"Mr. Mu, is there a problem?" Manager Wu asked in a low voice.

Mr. Mu's eyes flashed with a predatory look, which quickly disappeared. He smiled and said, "Which staff members handled these items?"

Manager Wu's heart skipped a beat and said cautiously, "Since they were brought by Mr. Mudong, I personally packaged them. If there's a problem, please reprimand me, Mr. Mu."

"Ah?" Mr. Mu looked at Manager Wu, his eyes softer than ever, and patted his shoulder heavily, smiling, "Good, very good! Manager Wu, I haven't misjudged you. The Mu family needs people like you who get things done. Come, let's go to your office. We'll have a drink, and I have something important to discuss with you."

Manager Wu's body trembled, feeling honored. Even the elders of the Mu family had never shown such a friendly attitude towards him. What was going on?

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