Chapter 22: Twelve Lots in a Row

While the strategic seminar on the South Pacific private island was still being prepared, the final 1% progress of 【Super Technology】 remained rock-solid. Qin Feng was not impatient; he knew well that the more critical the moment, the more patience and the right opportunity were needed.

That afternoon, Sun Zhe brought over an exquisitely produced auction catalogue.

"President Qin, Jiade's autumn grand auction is being held next week. There are a few items this time that you might be interested in." Sun Zhe placed the catalogue on Qin Feng's desk and deliberately flipped open a few pages he had marked. "Especially these pieces. They are said to have been rescue-excavated from an overseas ancient city site about to undergo commercial development, carrying a strong flavor of ancient oceanic civilization. Some of the ornamentation and symbols even experts cannot fully decipher."

Qin Feng had never been much interested in antique auctions; he preferred investments that could directly generate value or push the future forward. But the phrases "ancient oceanic civilization" and "indecipherable symbols," combined with the "Deep Blue Power" project he was pushing at full throttle—closely tied to the ocean—and the "ocean" domain the system had hinted at, stirred something faintly in his heart.

He took the catalogue and began flipping through it. The lots Sun Zhe had marked included some severely corroded metal vessels, stone slab fragments carved with strange patterns, and several oddly shaped jade objects suspected to be ritual implements. The pictures looked primitive, even a bit crude, and the descriptive text was vague, full of words like "suspected," "possibly," and "pending verification." Clearly, in mainstream archaeology, the value of such unconfirmed civilizational relics carried great uncertainty.

But for some unknown reason, as Qin Feng's gaze swept over those twisted patterns that seemed to record waves and starry skies, his long-dormant 【Investment Insight (Intermediate)】 skill (though in its Cooling Period, its basic acuity seemed to linger), and the Life Energy within him—dimmed somewhat from the consumption of 【Shenji Blessing】—both produced an extremely faint, hard-to-describe resonance.

The feeling vanished in an instant, yet it made him take note.

"A bit interesting." Qin Feng closed the catalogue. "Make the arrangements. I'll go take a look."

"Understood, President Qin." Sun Zhe replied, though doubt stirred in his heart. The Boss had never shown interest in such "obscure" lots before.

A week later, at the Jiade auction venue, the elite gathered in force.

Qin Feng took a seat in an inconspicuous corner, drawing little attention. His gaze swept the room and landed on a few familiar faces, including Wang Hongyuan of Hongyuan Group, whose complexion still looked none too pleasant. Wang Hongyuan spotted him too; his eyes flickered with a complicated look before he turned his head away.

The auction proceeded in an orderly fashion—calligraphy, porcelain, jewelry… lot after lot was sold, the atmosphere lively. Qin Feng watched quietly the whole time, never once raising his paddle.

Until that batch of lots from the "suspected ancient oceanic civilization" came up for bidding.

The first item, a metal vessel covered in copper rust and shaped like a twisted horn, had a starting price of 800,000. With its research value unclear and its artistic appeal ordinary, bidders were few; only two or three people slowly raised the price, and it finally fell to the hammer at 1.2 million.

The second item, a stone slab fragment carved all over with waves and strange eye motifs, had a starting price of 500,000. Even fewer people bid this time; the scene grew cold, and it looked about to be passed in.

Just then, Qin Feng raised his paddle for the first time.

"Bidder number 68, 500,000!" The auctioneer perked up.

Curious gazes turned toward the corner where Qin Feng sat, and those who recognized him began murmuring.

"It's Qin Feng! How is he interested in something like this?"

"Can't figure it out—too much money to burn?"

"Maybe there's some inside story we don't know?"

Wang Hongyuan frowned too, staring hard at Qin Feng, trying to read something from his face.

In the end, the stone slab fragment was easily pocketed by Qin Feng at the 500,000 starting price.

Then came the third, the fourth… As long as a lot came from that unknown oceanic civilization—whether an unassuming jade cong or a broken pottery jar—provided no one bid or bidding was low, Qin Feng would raise his paddle at the last moment, taking it down at the starting price or just slightly above.

His actions, curious at first, gradually became the focus of the entire room.

"He's bidding again!"

"How many is that now? The fifth?"

"The sixth! What on earth is he doing?"

"Could these junk pieces really have some secret?"

The murmuring grew louder and louder; even the auctioneer couldn't help glancing toward Qin Feng's direction again and again. Wang Hongyuan's expression grew graver and graver. An appraiser beside him said quietly, "President Wang, we've studied these things carefully—truly nothing of special value. Academic significance outweighs market value. Qin Feng's move… is truly baffling."

Wang Hongyuan snorted coldly: "Putting on an act! Or just too much money with nowhere to spend it!"

When the twelfth item—the last of this batch of suspected oceanic civilization relics, a bronze disc riddled with holes and suspected to be the wreckage of an ancient navigational instrument—came up, the starting price was 2 million. This time, someone finally couldn't hold back and, after Qin Feng raised his paddle, tentatively raised the bid once.

"2.1 million!"

Qin Feng didn't even lift his eyelids, simply raising his paddle again.

"Bidder number 68, 2.5 million!" the auctioneer called.

The competing bidder hesitated, glanced at Qin Feng's calm profile that brooked no opposition, and finally shook his head and gave up. No one was willing to go head-to-head with this free-spending Shenhou over a pile of "junk."

"Bang!" The hammer fell.

"Congratulations, bidder number 68!"

A wave of whispers rose through the hall; every gaze was fixed on Qin Feng, filled with puzzlement, curiosity, and even a hint of schadenfreude.

"Twelve lots in a row! All from that unwanted batch of 'Ocean Junk'!"

"Spent over ten million? On this?"

"The world of the Shenhou—we just don't get it…"

Wang Hongyuan even curled his lip in a sneer, thinking Qin Feng had simply lost his mind.

Facing every gaze and every whisper, Qin Feng remained as calm as still water. He set down his paddle and gave Sun Zhe beside him a quiet instruction: "Handle the paperwork. Send the lots directly to my private laboratory."

He did not care what others thought. That faint resonance had grown a touch clearer the moment he took down the first stone slab fragment. He vaguely felt that these objects might share some unknown connection with the "Super Technology" he was pursuing, and with the energy within him that longed to be replenished.

The instant the twelfth lot fell to the hammer—

【Ding! Detected that the Host has collected an ancient creation containing a faint "Source Technology Imprint"!】

【Analyzing energy… Replenishing the Host's depleted "Basic Life Energy"…】

【Basic Life Energy restored: 1%…2%…3%…5%! Restoration complete!】

【"Source Technology Imprint" absorbed successfully!】

【Super Technology】 unlock progress: 99% → 100%!

【Ding! Congratulations to the Host, the 【Super Technology】 module has been fully unlocked!】

【System upgrade initiating… Loading new features…】

A warm current of energy flowed through his entire body; the weakness brought on by using Shenji Blessing was swept away in an instant, his vigor more abundant than ever before! At the same time, the system interface blazed with light!

Qin Feng's heart jolted violently! Just as he thought! These seemingly unremarkable "junk" pieces were actually the key to unlocking that final progress!

Amid the varied gazes of the crowd, he slowly rose to his feet, ignoring every probing stare, and walked straight out.

Wang Hongyuan watched Qin Feng's retreating back; that unhurried, composed manner stirred an inexplicable unease in him. He suddenly felt that Qin Feng's ten-plus million was probably not spent foolishly…

And Qin Feng, at this moment, had all his attention immersed in the system that was upgrading and transforming.

【Super Technology】, has arrived!