Chapter 90:
"Have you discovered anything new recently?" A middle-aged man in a worn-out short-sleeved shirt with holes stood in front of Wood, shaking hands with him while quietly inquiring.
Wood shook his head. He gestured with his eyes, and immediately, his superior noticed Lin Qi standing outside the crowd, apanied by Ferrall.
While many ordinary people might not be familiar with Ferrall, Wood''s superior was well-acquainted. He knew almost everyone in the city who required his attention, including Ferrall, the adviser to the mayor.
The connection between Lin Qi and the mayor made Wood''s superior feel a bit uneasy. Before the higher authorities intervened, investigating Lin Qi could potentially infringe on legal protections under certainws. To ensure that leaders were not subject to harassment and political entanglements during their terms, investigations into rted individuals were generally avoided.
If the mayor of Sabin City perceived the investigation into Lin Qi as an attack on him, it might lead to a temporary halt in the inquiry against Lin Qi. They would have to wait until the mayor''s term ended to resume the investigation.
Wood''s superior was somewhat anxious. If they could obtain substantive evidence against Lin Qi before any significant interaction between Lin Qi and the mayor urred, they could preemptively charge Lin Qi. The mayor would naturally avoid contact with a criminal in that case.
However, all of this hinged on one conditionthey needed concrete and valid evidence. Otherwise, the court would not approve their subsequent actions.
Wood shook his head. His superior''s expression grew more solemn. Under Wood''s guidance, he took his seat assigned to Wood.
Wood opted forke blue; he liked the color, so all hundred seats assigned to him were covered withke blue dust covers.
Gradually, more new faces with his flyers took the seats belonging to Wood. Many of them were active-duty police detectives, here to assist Wood in infiltrating Lin Qi''s circle.
Originally, Wood''s superior just wanted to make up the numbers, ensuring Wood sessfullypleted the mission. However, the current situation seemed very urgent.
They needed Wood to gain Lin Qi''s approval quickly. The best way was to make it appear that Wood could be the person to help Lin Qi seed.
As time passed, more people arrived at the scene. Lin Qi had prepared two thousand seats, arranged in a circr formation around the venue. This ensured that everyone could see the disyed goods, and the auctioneer could hear the bids from all sides.
The people brought by Ferrall also joined in maintaining order. Reporters would be filming the entire event, and the footage would be featured on the local news by tomorrow night at thetest. Therefore, it was necessary to have some official personnel on-site.
Apart from these individuals, warehouse security and even some blue overalls workers spontaneously assisted Lin Qi in maintaining order while staying to enjoy the spectacle.
In this increasingly economically depressed society, people needed something fresh to stimte their numb nerves.
At 2:15, approximately three thousand people had gathered at the scene. Those without seats found random spots to stand, even the rescue teams were present to prevent any unforeseen idents or dangers. In any case, everyone was highly anticipating and very curious about what was toe.
"It''s starting..." With Lin Qi''s words, the host and his assistants took the stage, apanied by arge number of goods being brought to the tform. The noisy atmosphere quieted down to some extent, though there were still low conversations. Overall, it was no longer as boisterous.
"I am delighted to be here on such a day..." The host, hired by Lin Qi for six hundred bucks from the provincial capital, began his introduction. Lin Qi also had to pay an additional one hundred twenty bucks for transportation and one day of amodation.
Sabin City did not have a formal auction house, so there were no professional auctioneers. A good auctioneer could effectively elevate the atmosphere, create some small conflicts, and frequently set record-breaking prices.
In Baylor Federation and even internationally, some famous auctioneers could receive amission of three percent of the final transaction price as their bonus!
He quickly exined the auction process. The items rted to the bidders were mostly about raising hands; no number tes were needed. It wasn''t as formal and serious, resembling more of a familiar second-hand goods trading eventthough top-tier auctions were essentially high-priced second-hand goods markets.
The entire auction could be divided into three stages. The first stage was a fixed-price rush auction, with no distinction between raising and lowering bids. The host would announce a price for an item, and those who wanted to buy it could raise their hands.
On the central disy tform, there were four additional staff members holding small buttons. When they saw someone raising their hand, they would press the button, preventing the other three from triggering the button''s effect. This process was employed to confirm the identity of the first person to raise their hand.
In this stage, most of the items for sale were in demand, essential for daily life. For example, practical household ovens, cooking stations with six stoves, and simr items that every household had a need for. These items had a stable trading volume and price in the second-hand market and could be easily sold without raising or lowering the price.
After the first stage, they moved to the second stagethe actual auction. To evoke a certain atmosphere, the starting price for each item was one buck. Yes, regardless of how much the item would sell for in stores, the starting price here was one buck. The final price depended on everyone''s demand.
Most of the items in this category were shy and impractical. If they were assigned a fixed price like the first category, these items would mostly stay in the warehouse. It was better to let customerspete; maybe they would fetch a good price.
As for the third stage...
The host said it would be an unprecedented surprise that could even change some auction rules globally!
As a surprise, he chose not to reveal it for now and proceeded to the first stage of the auction.
As the first item was disyed by the staff, the host skillfully introduced and boasted about ita built-in oven that could be ced in a cab or embedded in a wall.
These hidden ovens had be very popr in recent years. They were not only aesthetically pleasing but also saved space. For families with limited kitchen space but in need of a rtivelyrge oven, it was a good choice.
In stores, this brand-new oven would cost around 199 bucks, but today at the auction, it was only 79 bucks!
The auctioneer''s words were highly provocative. Around ten seconds after he finished speaking, a light suddenly illuminated on the stage, and shortly afterward, people in other factions were seen raising their hands too.
The first item was sold very quickly, leaving people either feeling regretful or curiously watching the person who raised their hand first. A mysterious sense of participation began to slowly emerge.
"Congrattions to this gentleman, who bought an almost new oven for 79 bucks. If I weren''t the host, I wouldn''t give you such an opportunity!" The host pointed and congratted the sessful bidder. Meanwhile, staff members started settling the paymentcash or check was both eptable. In addition to these, the buyer had to leave an address for home delivery.
On the surface, home delivery seemed to incur an additional expense for Lin, but this rtively small cost could firmly keep these people in his grasp.
"79 bucks, it looks like it''s almost a giveaway..." Ferrall whispered, shaking his head. He turned to Lin Qi and asked. "How much did you lose?"
"Lose?" Lin Qi''s eyes carried a hint of amusement. "I made at least ten bucks on this thing."Please vote for this novel at /series/ckstone-code/
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