Chapter 101 The Auction Battle

The gavel slammed down.

"Lot number one,a pristine Ming vase,starting bid at fifty thousand dollars!"The auctioneer's voice boomed through the opulent hall,kicking off the evening's extravagant affair.

But Max wasn't interested in antique pottery.

He was here for something…else.

He leaned back in his plush velvet chair,an air of nonchalant boredom radiating from him,Lily standing silently beside him,a small,knowing smile playing on her lips.

She knew her boss,and she knew this facade was thinner than a supermodel on a juice cleanse.

The opening lots flew by in a blur of raised paddles and escalating numbers.

Then,it appeared.

Bathed in the spotlight,resting on a cushion of crimson velvet,lay the object of Max's desire:the ancient,gleaming blade known as the Whisperwind Katana,radiating an almost palpable power.

This wasn't just some dusty relic;this was a goddamn artifact,pulsing with an energy Max could almost taste.

"Starting bid,one million dollars!"the auctioneer announced,his voice crackling with excitement.

The bidding began,a flurry of eager voices vying for the legendary weapon.

Shadow Syndicate's representative,the scarred brute from earlier,was quick to jump in,spitting out numbers like they were going out of style.

"One point five million!"

"Two million!"another voice called.

A smirk tugged at the corner of Max's lips.

Time to play.

"Five million,"he drawled,his voice cutting through the excited chatter like a diamond through glass.

A collective gasp rippled through the room.

Five million?

For an opening bid?

The Shadow Syndicate representative shot him a venomous glare,the muscles in his jaw twitching.

"Six million,"he growled,his voice strained.

"Ten million,"Max countered,not even bothering to glance his way.

He casually checked his nails,as if discussing the price of a cup of coffee rather than a legendary artifact that could cleave a tank in two.

The room buzzed.

This wasn't just an auction anymore;it was a clash of titans.

Other bidders,realizing the scale of the wallets involved,wisely backed away,settling in to watch the fireworks.

The Shadow Syndicate,however,wasn't backing down.

Their rep,sweat beading on his brow,kept raising the bid,driven by a desperate need to secure the artifact for Blackthorn.

The price climbed higher and higher,each increment a testament to the burning desire and bottomless pockets of the two competitors.

Fifteen million.

Twenty million.

Twenty-five.

The air crackled with tension,thick enough to cut with a knife.

This was better than any cage match,Max thought,a predatory gleam in his eyes.

While the high-stakes battle raged,Grace,her fingers flying across the keyboard of her custom-built tablet,was busy weaving her digital magic.

Lines of code streamed across the screen,a virtual tapestry of disruption.

She'd subtly infiltrated the Shadow Syndicate's financial network,injecting tiny delays,just enough to throw off their bidding rhythm.

A microsecond here,a millisecond there–enough to create a ripple effect of frustration.

Victor Blackthorn,watching the auction from a hidden vantage point,noticed the slight hesitation in his representative's bidding.

Something wasn't right.

His eyes narrowed,suspicion hardening into certainty.

"Find the source of the interference,"he hissed into his comm,his voice laced with venom.

"Now."

Two hulking figures,their faces obscured by shadows,detached themselves from the crowd and began scanning the room,their movements predatory and purposeful.

Their gaze swept across the attendees,searching for any sign of unauthorized activity.

Grace,sensing the shift in the atmosphere,felt a chill run down her spine.

Busted.

Before the Syndicate goons could pinpoint her location,a blur of motion erupted in front of her.

Athena,her eyes flashing with a fierce intensity,stepped forward,intercepting the approaching threat.

"Looking for something?"she purred,her voice dangerously soft.

The two men,surprised by her sudden appearance,hesitated for a moment.

A moment that was all Athena needed.

With a lightning-fast strike,she disarmed one,sending his weapon clattering across the marble floor.

The other lunged at her,a guttural roar escaping his lips.

Athena sidestepped his clumsy attack with effortless grace,her movements fluid and precise.

A swift kick to the gut sent him sprawling,gasping for air.

The sudden eruption of violence sent a wave of panic through the auction hall.

People screamed,scrambling for cover.

The auctioneer,his face pale with terror,hammered his gavel frantically,trying to restore order.

Athena,however,remained unfazed.

She stood poised and ready,a whirlwind of controlled fury,her eyes daring anyone else to challenge her.

Max,observing the chaos with an amused smirk,leaned over to Lily.

"Showtime,"he whispered,his eyes gleaming with anticipation.

He placed another bid,a casual fifty million,as if the escalating violence was merely a minor inconvenience.

The scarred representative,distracted by the commotion,opened his mouth to bid again,but the words caught in his throat.

Blackthorn's voice crackled through his earpiece,sharp and urgent.

"Stand down.We have a bigger problem…"

The air in the opulent auction hall crackled with tension.

Crystal chandeliers glittered,casting shimmering light on the assembled elite,their faces a mixture of awe,apprehension,and morbid curiosity.

Max,dressed in a seemingly casual but impeccably tailored suit,leaned back in his plush velvet chair,a smirk playing on his lips.

Beside him,Lily,ever vigilant,scanned the room,her hand discreetly resting on a concealed taser.

"Ten million,"the auctioneer announced,his voice trembling slightly.

The item in question,a seemingly innocuous antique music box,was rumored to contain a hidden compartment with the access codes to a vast offshore account.

Max knew its true value lay in the advanced microchip hidden within,a key component in his plan to dismantle the Shadow Syndicate.

"Eleven million,"a gruff voice echoed from the back of the hall.

Victor Blackthorn's representative,the scarred man from the previous encounter,stepped forward,his eyes locked on Max.

Max chuckled,a sound that sent a shiver down the spines of those nearby.

"Twenty million."He didn't even glance at the representative.

His gaze remained fixed on the music box,as if it were the only object of interest in the entire room.

A collective gasp rippled through the audience.

Twenty million?

For a dusty old music box?

Clearly,this was more than just a simple auction.

This was a power play.

The scarred man's face contorted in rage.

He opened his mouth to speak,but Blackthorn's voice,cold and sharp,cut through the air.

"Thirty million."Blackthorn himself emerged from the shadows,his presence radiating a chilling aura.

Max finally turned to face him,his smirk widening.

"Forty million.Don't make this difficult,Victor.Some toys are just too expensive for you."

Blackthorn's eyes narrowed.

"You think you can outbid me,Voss?You think you can win this little game?"

"Fifty million,"Max countered,his voice calm and measured.

He raised an eyebrow,a silent challenge.

The tension in the room was palpable.

The auctioneer,completely forgotten,stood frozen on the podium.

Suddenly,subtle movements caught Lily's eye.

Men in dark suits,strategically positioned throughout the hall,began to close in on Max's group.

She leaned closer to Max,her voice barely a whisper.

"Sir,we have a problem."

Max's smirk didn't falter.

"Grace,Daisy,showtime."

As if on cue,the lights flickered,plunging the auction hall into momentary darkness.

Screams erupted from the crowd.

When the lights returned,Grace and Daisy were nowhere to be seen.

The screens displaying the auction information glitched,then went blank,replaced by a single image:the Shadow Syndicate's logo,now defaced with a cartoonish pig snout.

Simultaneously,chaos erupted as strategically placed smoke bombs detonated,creating confusion and obscuring vision.

Athena,a whirlwind of motion,materialized beside Max,her eyes blazing with an otherworldly light.

"Don't worry,Max.I've got this."

She moved with breathtaking speed and precision,disarming and incapacitating Blackthorn's men before they could even react.

The sounds of muffled grunts and the thud of bodies hitting the floor punctuated the ongoing pandemonium.

Blackthorn,momentarily stunned by the sudden turn of events,watched in disbelief as his carefully orchestrated plan unravelled.

Max,amidst the chaos,remained the epitome of calm.

He turned to the bewildered auctioneer,his voice laced with amusement.

"So,about that music box…going once…going twice…"