Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1670: Snatched!

!~🛎️~!

[50,000 Aevum]

”...”

Absolute silence swallowed the entire auction hall.

Even the floating drones froze in place while the giant holographic number illuminated countless stunned faces below.

Epsilon slowly clenched its fist.

For the first time since the bidding war began, hesitation appeared within those burning golden eyes.

Part of him genuinely considered abandoning Lackey altogether.

After all...

He was beginning to lose far more than his advantage.

The Aveum was not something one could casually throw... It’s worth more than a life.

While the value continued rising exponentially, Lackey stood in the centre of the hall with a confused yet faintly amused expression on his face.

This was not something he had expected.

At first, he thought the bidding would end quickly.

Yet now, the entire auction hall had practically descended into madness over him.

Looking at the situation carefully, it was obvious that both parties already had some sort of feud between them.

But even then...

Why was the woman behind the ’β’ Curtain willing to throw such absurd amounts of money at him?

Lackey still did not fully understand the value of ’Aevum’ in this world, but judging from the pale faces and stunned silence spreading throughout the lower floor, he could roughly guess.

Those numbers probably represented fortunes capable of buying cities.

Or armies.

!~🛎️~!

[100,000 Aevum]

The moment the pink holographic number exploded across the air above the arena, the entire auction hall fell into absolute silence.

People stared upward with pale expressions and widened eyes as though they had just witnessed something impossible.

Some even forgot to breathe.

Even the hostess staggered backwards in visible shock, nearly losing her balance as the glowing number reflected across her trembling pupils.

100,000 Aevum.

For a slave.

An ugly one at that.

Even Nexus Epsilon turned completely silent.

Inside the golden chamber, the mech-suited figure stared motionlessly at the floating number illuminating the hall while countless thoughts violently collided within his mind.

Only one conclusion slowly surfaced.

”Did she... obtain information about him?” Epsilon muttered quietly under his breath.

Its glowing golden visor dimmed slightly.

”If she did... then that explains why she’s willing to throw away this much for a mere ugly product.”

The realisation made his grip tighten harder against the armrest.

And... turned silent.

Below, the lower floor slowly began to understand the truth.

Epsilon had given up.

Even without saying anything, everyone could tell from the silence radiating from the golden chamber above.

Still, despite backing down, Epsilon’s glowing golden eyes remained fixed toward the ’β’ Curtain with restrained hostility.

The hostess finally snapped out of her daze before hurriedly raising her hand toward the arena.

”100,000 Aevum going once...”

Her voice slightly trembled near the end.

A soft mechanical sound echoed throughout the hall.

”Going twice...”

Above the stage, countless crimson light particles slowly gathered together before forming a massive holographic hammer suspended in the air.

”Sold.”

BOOOOM!!

The holographic hammer struck downward with explosive force.

Crimson sparks erupted across every floating screen while loud mechanical chimes echoed throughout the auction hall.

The atmosphere immediately exploded into noise as applause thundered from every direction.

Some applauded from excitement.

Others from disbelief.

A few simply because they did not know how else to react.

The mech-suits stationed near the stage immediately moved forward as they grabbed the slave without wasting time and escorted him toward a glowing corridor behind the stage.

Meanwhile, Lackey himself looked completely stunned.

*Fuck...*

The curse escaped his lips almost instinctively as he was dragged away by the mech-suits.

The people on the lower floor were still trying to recover from the shock when they suddenly remembered something important.

The information.

They still had not received any details regarding the slave.

And since their demands were completely justified, the hostess no longer had any choice but to reveal the remaining data.

A holographic screen flickered above the arena.

Then the information finally appeared.

[Bloodline: Unknown]

[Growth: ??]

Then countless eyes widened in utter shock.

Now they understood.

Or rather...

They understood how dangerous this situation truly was.

Unknown bloodlines were already rare enough to attract attention, but growth marked entirely with question symbols?

That was abnormal.

No wonder the upper divisions had nearly started a war over him.

Meanwhile, back on the upper floor, Epsilon silently stared at the auction hall that was slowly beginning to empty.

Yet his thoughts remained trapped around the same terrifying realisation.

’What am I supposed to tell Ms. Amara?!’

Blue energy flickered violently beneath the golden armour as frustration surged through him.

’Damn it... this is all her fault. If she had told me about his bloodline earlier—’

The thought suddenly halted.

’No... she didn’t know either.’

A sharp metallic crack echoed from the armrest beneath his grip.

’Fuck... what am I supposed to do now?’

Epsilon slowly rose from the floating sofa, the levitating platform lowering slightly beneath his weight. Just as he turned toward the exit—

A holographic notification suddenly appeared before him.

[Incoming Call]

A holographic panel slowly appeared inside the visor.

Epsilon silently stared at the caller ID for several seconds.

Then, after a long pause, he finally accepted the call.

”Hello, Nexus Epsilon~”

A sultry voice echoed softly inside the suit’s communication system.

Epsilon slowly inhaled before responding.

”Hello, Genome Beta.”

”Are you feeling hurt right now?” she asked playfully. ”Since I won?”

The teasing laughter hidden beneath her voice immediately made Epsilon visibly clench his fist.

Still, he forced himself to remain calm.

He needed Lackey.

No matter what.

That was the promise he had made to Amara.

Lackey’s safety came before everything else.

Epsilon carefully lowered his tone.

”Would you be willing to exchange—”

”No.”

The response cut him off before he could even finish speaking.

Genome Beta laughed softly afterwards, clearly enjoying herself.

”I honestly don’t care why you hid the information regarding that slave,” she said lazily. ”But in the end, it doesn’t matter anymore since I was the one who obtained him~ Hahaha~”

Epsilon’s expression turned colder beneath the visor.

’Just as I thought... she discovered it.’

His golden eyes narrowed slightly.

’But how?’

He had personally made sure Lackey’s information never appeared anywhere within the auction system. Even though the auction house was supposed to remain neutral, his authority within the system still surpassed almost everyone present.

At least...

That was what he believed.

”You see,” Genome Beta continued casually, ”I had absolutely lost interest in the slave himself after seeing his face.”

”But the moment you tried selling a slave for one Aevum...”

A soft chuckle echoed through the communication channel.

”That was the moment you caught my attention.”

Epsilon remained silent.

”Tell me,” she continued mockingly, ”why would the great and greedy Nexus Epsilon suddenly sell a product cheaper than a single meal?”

The woman laughed openly now.

”It doesn’t make sense, does it?”

Even through the communication system, Epsilon could practically imagine the smirk on her face.

”Even if you claimed it was merely to fill the quota... one Aevum?” she said while laughing harder.

”Bitch, please~ Hahaha!”

The voice sounded genuinely entertained.

Like she had just uncovered a secret treasure hidden beneath everyone’s noses.

Epsilon clicked his tongue in irritation.

He had successfully fooled almost the entire auction hall.

Yet someone still managed to notice the inconsistency.

”I suppose you possess a functioning brain after all,” Epsilon replied sarcastically. ”How surprising... hah.”

”...”

Silence briefly filled the channel.

Then Genome Beta spoke again, though this time her tone became calmer.

”Even if you tried your best to suppress the information, you should know we possess authority capable of bypassing yours as well.”

Epsilon’s expression stiffened slightly.

”And do you honestly think the others failed to notice it?” she continued. ”Of course, they obtained the information too.”

The woman paused briefly before laughing softly.

”They simply didn’t care.”

Her voice carried cold certainty now.

”To them, the slave still appeared useless. A new bloodline does not guarantee profit, after all.”

Epsilon quietly listened without interrupting.

”No one wanted to gamble resources in a situation this unstable,” she explained.

”Especially when nobody knows when the ’Order’ might change again... Alpha’s position, that’s what everyone wanted, even you, that’s why you stopped bidding, right?~ Saving your little Aevum~”

The Order.

Just mentioning it was enough to create pressure.

”But unlike them...” Genome Beta’s tone softened with dangerous amusement. ”I enjoy taking risks, Nexus Epsilon.”

Epsilon slowly turned silent.

Inside the visor, countless streams of data flickered across his vision while his thoughts rapidly organised themselves.

’So five of them discovered it...’

The realisation irritated him more than he expected.

’Guess they weren’t as stupid as I thought.’

For the first time since the auction ended, traces of defeat quietly surfaced within his expression.

Still, Genome Beta suddenly sounded curious.

”But honestly... why does the Epsilon Division even need a new bloodline?” she asked softly.

”It’s not like you’re planning to research him, are you?”

”...”

Epsilon remained completely silent.

Genome Beta waited for an answer.

Instead—

The communication abruptly ended.

[Call terminated]

Epsilon lowered his head slightly before speaking in a cold voice.

”Call Lukeman.”

[Calling Lukeman]

Beep...

Beep...

Beep...

Click.

”Hello, Boss.”