Chapter 878
The crowd buzzed with feverish whispers, everyone rubbing their hands together, staring hungrily at the Astral Titanium on stage.
Taking in the crowd’s reaction, the auctioneer smiled, his voice grand and booming. “That’s right! This is an exceedingly rare specialty mineral. The known global reserves are currently less than twenty pounds p>
“To the untrained eye, it’s just a rock. But to everyone in this room, its true value is undeniably clear p>
“It is an irreplaceable core material in aerospace, military defense, and cutting-edge microchip development p>
“An utterly irreplaceable component p>
“Even a piece this small, if utilized correctly, can trigger a disruptive technological revolution. It could propel a nation’s scientific breakthroughs and even sway the global economic pulse p>
He wasn’t exaggerating in the slightest.
It was safe to say many people in the room were here solely for this stone.
Once acquired, whether used internally or flipped to a national research institute, it was worth an astronomical fortune.
“To ensure absolute fairness, the bidding rules for this final lot will be different p>
The auctioneer raised a hand.
Red lights blinked to life on the consoles in front of every guest.
“The bidding devices at your seats have been activated. The starting price for the Astral Titanium is-five hundred million! Each press of your button adds twenty million! There is no ceiling p>
“Let the bidding begin p>
The moment his voice dropped,
The numbers on the massive screen began to skyrocket frantically.
“Five hundred and twenty million p>
“Six hundred million p>
“Six hundred and sixty million p>
Every single second,
The figure on the screen took massive leaps.
In less than five seconds,
The price had shattered the eight-hundred-million mark.
This Astral Titanium represented tangible, world-altering power.
If used correctly, it was a golden opportunity to elevate an entire family’s destiny!
Serena stared at the stone, leaning back lazily against her chair.
This was the exact Astral Titanium Mr. Harrison needed.
As long as they secured it, the neural synapse project could finally break through its bottleneck.
She had to walk away with it.
Serena wasn’t in a rush to make her move.
She waited until the price on the
screen, climbed to five billion watching the frequency of the updates noticeably slow down.
called
only
It was when the auctioneer time a price for the second
é¾™net
a hesitant guest finally h
ther button.?
Clearly, the price had just about reached its ceiling.
Serena narrowed her bright eyes, reached out, and tapped her bidding button.
However,
With a soft press,
Nothing happened.
She pressed it again.
Still no reaction.
The numbers on the giant screen continued their sluggish climb.
But her seat number and bid never appeared.
Serena arched a brow, staring down at the device in front of her.
“What’s wrong?” Nicholas, who had been watching her, immediately reached over
and tapped the button twice.
The button didn’t even light up. Completely dead.
Broken?
Impossible.
At an auction of this caliber, equipment failures were incredibly rare.
Especially a glitch this basic.
Unless it was intentional.
Serena looked up, her gaze drifting toward the front row.
Sure enough.
Sebastian was half-turned in his
arm resting lazily on the
the other swirling a glass
other swirling a glass
of red wine.
Seeing Serena look his way,
He took a slow, deliberate sip and smiled.
It was an elegant, refined smile, but the pure malice and mockery in his eyes were completely undisguised.