Chapter 2: The Spectators Who Thrive on Drama

Xiao Ran steadied his mind and once again looked at the object emitting a red glow.

It was a small plaster statue of Venus, its surface darkened, scratched, and covered in dust.

There was no doubt: this was definitely a replica. The original Venus statue resided in the Louvre.

Moreover, this statue was of average quality and poorly preserved.

Yet this very replica radiated a dazzling red light.

Even stranger, the red light seemed to emanate from within the statue itself.

None of the others at the auction hall appeared to notice it.

"Why am I the only one who can see this red glow?" he wondered.

"The source of the red light must be hidden inside the statue. What could it be? Surely not some kind of radiation source?"

Xiao Ran pondered silently, feeling utterly baffled.

He did not understand what was happening to him.

But one thing was certain: there was a secret concealed within that Venus statue!

Given the crowd around him, he did not stare at the statue for too long, even though he wore sunglasses.

Next, he took out a hundred-dollar bill and handed it to a female staff member as a deposit to qualify for participation in the auction.

The woman gave him a bidding paddle marked with the number 216.

The moment he took the paddle, an excited voice suddenly came through his earpiece.

"Ran, these auctions are like opening mystery boxes. I’ve only ever watched online before but never joined one."

"Since you’re participating, why not let us all join? That would make it more fun, right?"

Before the words could finish, the others in the livestream erupted in chatter.

"Seriously, this sounds really interesting. Maybe we’ll hit the jackpot! That would be awesome!"

"Yeah! Xiao Ran, bring us along! We won’t let you down!"

Xiao Ran was momentarily stunned, then dashed their enthusiasm with a dose of cold reality.

"I want to bring you all along, but I only have a bit over five hundred dollars on me."

"As far as I know, these auctions only accept cash—no credit cards, no mobile payments."

Before he could finish, the group quickly shot back.

"What! You only carry a few hundred dollars on you and still have the nerve to leave the house? You’re a disgrace to buyers!"

Hearing this, Xiao Ran immediately rolled his eyes.

"Don’t forget, this is Los Angeles, not back home! I wouldn’t dare carry large sums of cash around—wouldn’t that be asking to get robbed?"

"If I hadn’t come to the airport to pick up my suitcase today, I’d have at most a hundred bucks on me."

"I’ve been in the States just over two years, and I’ve been mugged five times already. I’m genuinely scared!"

Laughter erupted in his earpiece.

Those merciless jokers laughed heartily again.

When the laughter subsided, “Cat,” who was hiding in the corner, spoke up.

"Xiao Ran, you’re at the airport, right? There must be plenty of ATMs nearby. Just withdraw some cash!"

"If your card doesn’t have enough, I’ll transfer some to you. What matters is everyone having fun!"

Xiao Ran paused, then responded.

"Money’s not the issue. Don’t forget, Emirates Airlines just compensated me a sum!"

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"Though I can’t compare to you rich kids, I have some cash!"

"Hahaha, how could we forget that hard-earned blood money you squeezed out of Emirates!" the crowd joked, laughing uncontrollably.

"What do you mean ‘blood money’? That money was paid for with my life, okay?" Xiao Ran retorted, then shifted tone.

"I can bring you all to play this game, but I can’t neglect my main task: I must retrieve my suitcase today."

"Also, flights between the US and China have been suspended, and so have deliveries."

"Even if I win something you want, you won’t be able to get it anytime soon!"

"Don’t worry about that. We have our ways!" a man named Big Dog chimed in.

"If Big Dog says that, you can be sure," the others agreed.

"As soon as the auction ends, we’ll transfer the payment to you!"

The crowd laughed and chimed in agreement.

"Fine! Since everyone wants to play, let's give it a shot!"

"But let me warn you—if you make a bad bid, don’t come blaming me. I’m not responsible!"

"Don’t worry, we’re not that shameless!"

"Alright! If you’re willing to risk it, I’m willing to back you!"

Xiao Ran joked.

His words sparked a mix of laughter and playful insults.

Then, while bantering with them, he approached the woman who had handed him the bidding paddle.

He inquired about the auction order for the suitcases and other items, and also asked if there were ATMs nearby.

He learned that his suitcase wouldn’t be auctioned for another half hour or so.

The glowing suitcase would be auctioned even later.

Additionally, there were two ATMs not far from the venue.

After confirming this, he immediately left to withdraw cash.

About fifteen minutes later, he returned to the auction hall.

This time, he carried thirty thousand dollars in cash.

Those in the livestream who enjoyed stirring up trouble thought this amount was too little and kept urging him to withdraw more, but he refused.

In a country riddled with thieves and robbers, carrying thirty thousand dollars openly was already risky.

If caught by violent criminals, it could even cost him his life.

Under such circumstances, he dared not carry too much cash.

Back at the auction, he did not participate immediately.

Instead, he asked a staff member if he could see the items soon to be auctioned.

The staff agreed readily.

He then walked toward his suitcase.

Standing a few meters away, he quickly scanned it.

The suitcase bore many scratches and dust, with several small dents but no signs of being pried open.

The numbers on the combination lock seemed tampered with, though by whom was unknown.

Whether someone had opened the suitcase, or if customs had inspected it, remained uncertain.

Seeing this, Xiao Ran’s heart leaped into his throat.

At the same time, his gaze grew sharper and more intense.

Suddenly, something extraordinary happened.

The magnesaluminum alloy shell of the suitcase seemed to vanish, revealing all the contents inside to his eyes.

More precisely, his vision penetrated directly through the suitcase.

This sudden change stunned him.

"What the hell is going on?"

At that moment, an excited voice came through his earpiece.

"Xiao Ran, do you see those two orange-red suitcases on the right?"

"Those look like limited edition 1970s vintage Louis Vuitton trunks."

"If they really are Louis Vuitton limited editions, make sure to grab them for me!"

Xiao Ran had no mind for the Louis Vuitton trunks now.

He hurried to check the contents of his suitcase.

The contents were somewhat disordered—it was clear customs had opened it.

Fortunately, the USB drive was still there, tucked in the watch pocket of a pair of blue jeans.

Perhaps because the USB was so small, customs had missed it.

Seeing the USB, Xiao Ran let out a long breath of relief.

Then he began to contemplate the sudden change happening to him.

This unimaginable ability was likely connected to the thunderstorm he encountered over Canadian airspace.

He had been knocked unconscious then and had no idea what happened afterward.

His new power was clearly some kind of x-ray vision, only manifesting when he focused intently on an object, remaining hidden otherwise.

There was another possibility too.

Because his body had fully recovered, this ability was only now awakening.

It just so happened that today, this incredible power surfaced.

Whether it would grow stronger and more astonishing over time remained unknown.

If it could develop and strengthen, that would be even better.

Thinking of this, Xiao Ran’s eyes glowed with excitement, his hands trembling slightly.

Then his thoughts returned to the earlier red glow.

What was that light? Why had it revealed itself so easily?

He turned to look at the small plaster Venus statue not far away.

As his gaze fixed on the statue, he instantly saw right through it.

What appeared next was a breathtaking scene.