Chapter 22: Mysterious Object
The moment Ethan heard Clara's name, his deep eyes narrowed sharply, pupils flashing with an extremely dangerous cold light.
Originally, he couldn't care less about this kind of street theft trick, but since these sewer rats dared to set their sights on Clara, they only had themselves to blame for their end.
Moreover, his keen perception—completely transformed by the S-grade serum—was now clearly picking up an extremely strange and powerful energy fluctuation faintly emanating from that black metal box!
Without any hesitation, Ethan put his hands in his pockets and walked out from the dark shadows with an extremely lazy gait.
"Put down that box, and I might consider leaving you with intact corpses."
Ethan's cold, emotionless voice suddenly rang out in the dead-silent alley!
The men who had been gloating moments ago whipped their heads around.
"Where did this idiot come from!" The leader, a man with a face full of brutal features, flashed an extremely cruel gleam in his eyes.
He suddenly pulled out a military triangular spike blade gleaming with cold light from his waist and lunged at Ethan!
"Go to hell!"
Facing this deadly strike, Ethan didn't even lift an eyelid. He just casually pulled one hand from his pocket and swung it out.
CRACK!
A bone-chilling explosive sound erupted in the alley!
Ethan's terrifyingly powerful strike directly twisted the man's huge head a full three hundred sixty degrees on his neck!
The man's massive body crashed to the ground. He didn't even have time to let out a scream before dying on the spot!
The savage grins on the remaining thugs' faces instantly froze, replaced by extreme shock and fear.
They never imagined that this seemingly frail young man possessed such terrifying strength!
"Shoot! Shoot now! Kill him!"
One of them roared hysterically, fumbling to pull the gun from his waist.
But Ethan wouldn't give them any chance.
CRACK! SNAP!
Accompanied by teeth-grinding sounds of shattering bones and piercing screams, in less than three seconds, the remaining men all collapsed to the ground.
Their limbs had been brutally broken by Ethan, with white bone fragments even piercing through their flesh, blood flowing everywhere!
Ethan walked expressionlessly to the thief who had already wet himself in fear.
He stomped and crushed the thief's kneecap, then bent down to pick up the black metal box, looking down at the man still breathing on the ground and mercilessly grinding his foot on the man's broken arm.
"Talk. Who are you working for? What's really in this box?"
The man convulsed violently in pain, covered in cold sweat.
But he didn't beg for mercy as Ethan expected. Instead, after assessing the situation, a chilling determination flashed in his eyes.
Ethan's eyes sharpened. He was about to reach out and dislocate the man's jaw, but it was too late!
The man suddenly bit down hard, directly crushing the poison capsule hidden in his back molar.
A stream of dark purple poisoned blood instantly spilled from the corner of his mouth. The man's body jerked violently, his pupils rapidly dilated, and he completely lost all vital signs!
Not just him—the other accomplices with broken limbs nearby made the same move, all committing suicide by poison!
The alley filled with the thick smell of blood and poison.
Ethan silently looked at these thoroughly dead bodies, his expression becoming extremely grave.
These guys weren't ordinary street thugs at all—they were strictly trained operatives who would immediately commit suicide upon mission failure!
The situation had clearly completely exceeded his expectations.
This definitely wasn't a simple theft incident. There was a net quietly closing in on him and Clara.
Ethan lowered his head, turning his gaze to the black metal box in his hand.
By the dim moonlight, he discovered the box had absolutely no seams, its surface covered with extremely intricate and complex micro-carved patterns.
This wasn't some ordinary lock, but a special self-destruct mechanism combining modern technology and ancient craftsmanship!
If forced open with brute strength, the moment the mechanism triggered, whatever was inside would definitely be completely destroyed.
"Interesting..." A slight smile curved Ethan's lips. He casually stuffed the box in his pocket and disappeared into the vast night.
On the outskirts of Manhattan, a private estate hidden deep in a dense forest.
This was the true venue for tonight's underground auction.
Everyone who could enter here was without exception either a financial tycoon controlling wealth and power, or a core member of a hidden family.
Clara wore an extremely stunning red haute couture backless gown, holding the arm of Ethan in a black tailored suit, walking into the magnificent underground venue with a high profile under countless gazes of amazement and awe.
The auction soon got underway. One after another, items that would cause sensations in the outside world—contraband, famous paintings, even cutting-edge weapons—were frantically bid on here.
Finally, the auction reached its second half.
The auctioneer on stage lifted a red velvet cloth, revealing a cryogenic storage tank emitting a ghostly blue glow.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the next item is an extremely rare 'S-grade biological gene sample'! Its value, I believe all the hidden family representatives here understand very well. Starting bid: fifty million dollars!"
This was exactly what the Foster family had prepared for so long and would obtain at any cost—their core objective!
A determined look appeared on Clara's stunning face. Without hesitation, she raised her paddle, her clear voice ringing throughout the venue: "One hundred million dollars!"
Directly doubled!
Gasps filled the entire venue. Many who had been eager to try immediately gave up.
However, just as the auctioneer was about to bring down the hammer, an extremely sarcastic voice full of provocation drifted down from a VIP box on the second floor.
"One hundred twenty million dollars."
Clara frowned, looking coldly toward the second floor: "One hundred fifty million dollars!"
"Two hundred million dollars." The voice from the second floor rang out again.
Clara bit her lip and finally sighed. She wanted to continue bidding but her budget was almost exhausted. Just as Clara was about to give up, Ethan suddenly spoke.
"Three hundred million dollars!"
The entire venue instantly fell into deathly silence!
Everyone's eyes widened, looking at Ethan sitting beside Clara like he was crazy!
Raising the price by a hundred million directly?
Who was this man?