Zombie Apocalypse: I Have Safe Zone Superpower

Chapter 840: Chapter 840: Credits

Their clothes were elegant, their accessories were clearly expensive, and even their casual conversations carried an air of confidence that made Bella feel slightly out of place.

‘Will I really be able to compete against these people with the budget I have?’

The seating arrangement for the auction was truly luxurious. In fact, it was the first time Bella had ever seen something on such a massive scale.

There were thousands of private rooms surrounding an enormous grand stage, all arranged in a wide semicircle.

Each room was separated from the others, ensuring that the guests could maintain their privacy while participating in the auction.

Above the stage was a massive screen that displayed everything happening below in crystal-clear HD quality.

Even someone with poor eyesight would have been able to see the details without any difficulty.

Soon, the host arrived.

He was a handsome man with bluish-silver hair, pale white skin, and delicate features that made him look almost like a prince.

He wore a perfectly tailored blue suit that shimmered slightly whenever he moved beneath the bright lights.

The man calmly took hold of a small water bubble and drank it.

Nothing appeared to change, at least from Bella’s perspective.

Then he began speaking.

His voice suddenly echoed throughout the entire auction hall as though it had been amplified thousands of times.

The sound reached even the lowest levels of the seating arrangement with perfect clarity.

“Welcome, everyone. The auction is about to begin.”

Bella looked around curiously.

Every guest had been assigned a private room to ensure their privacy. However, the rooms on the lower levels were only large enough for a person to sit or stand comfortably.

The private rooms on the upper levels were completely different.

They were so spacious that a person could sleep comfortably inside them and even play golf without feeling cramped.

‘This is ridiculously luxurious.’

Bella gritted her teeth slightly. ‘Once I have enough money, I am definitely going to get a place like this.’

Soon, the auction began.

One after another, people started bidding on the rental price. The amount continued climbing rapidly until it reached a staggering 50,000 credits per month.

Bella remained calm.

She could afford it.

The bidding continued until it reached 70,000 credits, at which point many of the participants finally stopped.

When the price reached 80,000 credits, only two people were still competing.

Bella’s eyes brightened. ‘This is my opportunity.’

She took a small breath before raising her voice. “85,000 credits.”

The entire auction hall became quiet for a moment.

No one immediately responded.

Bella waited anxiously, her fingers curling slightly against the edge of her seat.

‘Please, let this be enough.’

Eighty-five thousand credits was already an enormous amount, and if she won the property at that price, she would have to be careful with her remaining funds.

Just as Bella was about to celebrate, a cold voice suddenly echoed throughout the auction hall.

“90,000 credits.”

The moment those words rang out, everyone subconsciously fell silent.

An invisible pressure seemed to spread through the room, and Bella clenched her fist.

“95,000 credits. That’s my limit, and I won’t add a single credit!”

She gritted her teeth. ‘I have to stay within my budget, even if it is only barely.’

There was a brief silence before the auctioneer announced the result.

“Sold. The property has been won for 95,000 credits.”

Bella finally released the breath she had been holding. She had won.

Although she had a strange feeling that the woman who had placed the final bid was probably the owner of the entire property, Bella did not expect to meet her so soon.

Sure enough, when Bella went to complete the paperwork and sign the contract, she saw the woman waiting nearby.

The woman smiled. “Congratulations.”

Bella froze. She immediately recognized the voice. ‘It is her.’

There was no mistaking that voice.

Now Bella finally understood why everyone in the auction hall had fallen silent after the woman placed her bid.

They were probably afraid that if they continued competing against her, she would simply keep raising the price.

The woman looked at Bella with an amused smile.

“You are truly clever. When you said that you could not spend even one more credit, you were clearly telling me that you had reached your limit and were hoping that I would back out.”

Bella laughed awkwardly. “Well, you did back out, so I suppose it worked.”

The woman smiled again.

She was wearing a red skirt paired with a silver metallic tube top. Bella could not help glancing at her for a moment.

However, what caught Bella’s attention the most was the woman’s hair. It was black.

‘As far as I know, very few superior beings have black hair.’

Bella stared at it for a moment longer than she should have.

The woman noticed her gaze and laughed softly.

“Don’t look at me like that. I am not a superior being.”

Bella immediately looked away.

The woman continued with a faint smile.

“I am from Planet Nova, which is very far away from Planet Earth. I came here because I managed to acquire this property. I am simply a small landowner who spent nearly half of her life working to reach where I am today.”

A trace of awkwardness appeared on Bella’s face.

“I understand. I am sorry.”

The woman did not seem offended at all.

Instead, she smiled faintly.

“You must be quite confident about your shop. Otherwise, you would not be willing to rent this place for such a high price.”

Bella merely smiled.

The reason she had chosen the star-shaped building in the first place was because she believed it had tremendous potential.

The location was excellent, the structure was unique, and the surrounding area attracted enough wealthy customers to make the investment worthwhile.

She was even considering buying the entire property in the future.

Almost as though she had read Bella’s mind, the woman suddenly spoke.

“I can sell this place to you if you give me five hundred million credits.”

Bella’s eyes widened slightly.

For a moment, she did not agree, but she did not reject the offer either.

Five hundred million credits was a considerable amount, but considering the potential of the property, it was not an unreasonable price.

Seeing Bella’s thoughtful expression, the woman gave a small shrug.

“I will be honest with you. Doing business here is difficult. Even though all these people constantly bid such high prices during the auction, the reality is that they often do not pay their rent on time.”

Bella’s expression gradually became serious.

The woman continued, her tone carrying a hint of amusement.

“They may look wealthy, but collecting money from them is another matter entirely.”

“They consider themselves superior beings, so they believe they can ignore people like us who come from lower-level planets such as Planet Nova.”

Hearing those words, a frown appeared on Bella’s face. She looked at the woman for a moment before speaking.

“Well, technically, they shouldn’t be looking down on you, considering you have already achieved more than most of them could ever accomplish in their entire lifetime.”

The woman laughed softly. “There is no need to flatter me like that. I am still not going to give you a discount.”

Bella arched an eyebrow. “Was that really so obvious?”

The woman did not answer, merely giving Bella an amused look.

After a while, the conversation came to an end, and Bella began overseeing the renovation of the store.

She had the interior completely remodeled, making sure everything was arranged according to her plans.

Once she finally finished the renovation, she was preparing to leave for the place where she and Silas were staying when a group of thugs suddenly blocked her path.

The men surrounded Bella with unpleasant smiles. “Hand over the protection money. One million credits.”

Bella stared at them, completely speechless.

She had heard about thugs and protection rackets on Planet Earth, but she had never expected to encounter something similar on a technologically advanced planet like Astra.

‘How can something like this still exist in a world this advanced?’

At first, Bella was not particularly afraid. In fact, she even considered knocking them down herself and teaching them a proper lesson. However, the thugs quickly became more aggressive when they noticed that she was not taking them seriously.

They moved closer, surrounding her from every direction before suddenly attacking.

Bella’s expression immediately darkened.

‘This is troublesome.’