Chapter 269 Rainbow Gate and the Auction
"Looks like people from the Burning Fury warband," one of the faction leaders remarked, somewhat uncertain.
He knew the Burning Fury warband had recently suffered heavy losses, losing their top fighters and significantly weakening their strength. The rankings were being updated today, and they were expected to drop below twentieth place. Moreover, he heard that the Kiel Knights had taken their invitation card, leaving them high and dry.
Those who knew this looked at the Kiel Knights, sensing a potential conflict.
Someone asked, "Are they here to start a fight?"
Another remarked, "That's reckless! This is the city center with at least eight thousand zombies, possibly ten thousand, and who knows how many high-level mutated ones. Aren't they afraid of triggering a horde?"
A jealous voice chimed in, "But look at their gear. It's impressive—gray riot suits and gray outdoor knives. The equipment alone is worth a lot of bottles of Evolution Elixir."
"I haven't heard of the Burning Fury warband having gear like this. Did they encounter an Artisan?" someone asked, puzzled.
"Maybe one of them became an Artisan," a voice guessed.
"Come on, could they afford to keep an Artisan? In Accraville City, only the Rising Virtue warband and the Star Beauty Company could keep one. It's one of the top professions in the apocalypse," someone said disdainfully.
"But have you noticed? They are very skilled. They're sticking close to the building and killing silently, so only nearby zombies can detect them. Their riot suits are high quality, masking the human scent, and they've smeared zombie blood on them to avoid triggering a large-scale horde," a voice remarked.
People from various factions on the rooftop were in deep discussion. Those who were unaware of the situation gathered some information from the chatter. Their expressions varied as they observed the rapidly approaching team.
Some admired the team's courage, intelligence, and impactful entrance. Others envied their well-coordinated and high-quality gear and military-like discipline. But many still looked down on the team, not taking them seriously.
The Burning Fury warband's efficiency was surprisingly high. They chose a good angle to enter the battlefield, infiltrated to that position, and then charged directly. It seemed reckless, but the distance from where they appeared to the department store was only about a hundred feet. Their silent and efficient killing allowed them to quickly cover this distance and enter the department store.
Everyone present had been living in the apocalypse for over two months and were among the most adapted Evolving persons. They knew that this seemingly simple action required courage, strength, and vision. If anyone made a loud noise, fled in panic, or lacked the strength to cleanly kill the surrounding zombies, they would be torn to pieces by the horde.
Although the Burning Fury warband's strength might drop to the twenties or thirties in the new rankings, some people felt they had underestimated them. There were many factions in Accraville City with similar combat power, but none had chosen this method of entry, as they weren't confident in themselves.
A few minutes later, the door to the rooftop stairs was pushed open, and the team appeared in everyone's sight.
Seeing Basil leading the way, Derek Jones, a member of the Kiel Knights, crossed his arms and sneered. Even though the Burning Fury warband had just given everyone a textbook display of team combat, he didn't think much of it. If they were really that strong, they wouldn't have given their invitation card to him.
Sasha looked at the unremarkable William in the Burning Fury warband, her eyes filled with complex emotions. She didn't know how William, the young leader of Cloud Peak Manor, ended up here or how he got mixed into the Burning Fury Squad, but she knew that today was going to be interesting.
Then she saw Darryl, who had fought with William before, and she wrinkled her nose in displeasure, letting out a dissatisfied hum. Those two had clearly been conspiring for a while, leaving her out! Even though they probably weren't up to anything good, they didn't inform her! Sasha looked at William and felt an urge to slap him.
"Since everyone is here, let's get going," Chester said after glancing at the invitation card Basil handed him. He clapped his hands and called out to everyone.
Chester then walked to the edge of the building, moved his right hand slightly, and suddenly, a colorful oval light gate appeared. Many people instinctively took two steps back, wary of this unfamiliar object.
"Rainbow Gate?!" a voice exclaimed.
William's eyes widened slightly as he recognized the equipment.
It was a short-distance teleportation device that required mental energy to activate. Once activated, it could transport people to a predetermined fixed location.
Its teleportation distance varied but usually didn't exceed 1.2 miles. After setting the origin point, there would be a cooldown period during which it couldn't be reset. However, once set, the teleportation could be activated anywhere within the radius.
Although it was an auxiliary device, it was very useful if used correctly. Even William, who had seen many good things in his previous life, was quite tempted by the Rainbow Gate.
"I'll go first. My people will stay behind to reassure everyone, okay?" Chester said with a smile, addressing their concerns. "We're here to trade items we don't need for things that are more useful to us. This will improve our strength and speed up our evolution, benefiting everyone. I wouldn't risk angering so many people by scheming against you, so please rest assured."
With that, he walked in first, followed by a faction leader who was on good terms with him. The others still hesitated.
"Let's go in," William whispered to Basil, who immediately led his people inside.
Basil now admired William immensely. William had instantly upgraded the gear for Basil's two elite squads. His excellent command during the earlier zombie attack played a crucial role. His orders were very detailed; they just needed to follow his instructions without thinking. And that was how they got out unharmed from the zombie horde.
Seeing people enter, the others finally followed suit. In no time, the once bustling rooftop was empty.
Basil's vision blurred, and the scene changed. He found himself in a large tiered conference room. With the view outside, it seemed to be the top floor of an office building.
At the front of the tiered conference room, many people were busy, and Chester stood behind an auction table.
Once the top-ranked factions had arrived, Chester signaled everyone to sit down and then slowly spoke, "As the purpose of today's exchange meeting has already been explained, I won't repeat it. Let's go over the process. First, we'll start with a public auction of items from the Mercy Vanguard Warband. The highest bidder wins, and Magic Crystals is the currency.
"Next, following the latest strength rankings, each faction will auction their items in turn, setting their own prices and allowing free bidding.
"After this, we'll have a free trade period. If you need something, state it, and those who have it can propose terms. If multiple people are interested, you can bid. I won't interfere."
After he finished speaking, he snapped his fingers, and twenty women in clean white shirts and black skirts walked in. They served water and cigarettes to the faction leaders and then stood quietly by, awaiting further instructions, instantly elevating the auction's atmosphere.
"Let me start things off," Chester said with a smile. His assistant brought up a tray and placed it on the auction table in front of him.
"The first item I'm auctioning is this," Chester said, lifting the cloth covering the tray.
