Qilin Jue [Tomb Raiders Notes]

The autumn sky darkens faster than usual.It is evening now.

In the rain, vehicles sped past from time to time, splashing the accumulated water on the ground, and finally stopped on the side of the road.

Starting around six o'clock, cars would stop at the entrance of the Crescent Hotel from time to time. The people who got out of the cars seemed to be of high status, with their female companions by their side, and a few people who looked like bodyguards behind them.

With bodyguards holding umbrellas, people who came came into the restaurant one after another, or when they met acquaintances, they stopped to chat with them, but the words were always seemingly friendly but actually tested each other, and the inscrutable smile on the face concealed a trace of calculation , Talk about a few words, and then walk into the store together with a smile.

The atmosphere surrounding the Crescent Hotel was dignified and perilous.

Vehicles were gradually parked on both sides of the road, and people of different identities gathered here tonight.Everyone's expression is different, just like their own purpose.

Warm lighting illuminates the hall on the first floor, and there is light but clearly audible sandalwood in the air, which is refreshing and refreshing.

The high platform in the center of the hall is covered by a long curtain, which brings a sense of mystery.People were chatting and laughing with each other. Those who came here were all leaders with status. After all, they had experienced great storms, and they didn't seem to care about the upcoming contest at all.

Everyone gradually sat in the guest seats with the high platform as the center.

The people sitting under the pedestal came as buyers, that is to say, they came for the auction items.However, those who are not here intentionally may just want to watch a good show.These people will go directly to the private room on the second floor to watch the entire auction. Of course, if there is something that catches their eye, they can also compete.But the real purpose, only they themselves know.

This kind of auction within the industry is far more complicated than a political auction.Leaving aside the identity of the person who came, the items auctioned at the meeting are almost all the hot items in the industry. In this way, the competition and disputes between various forces will intensify, and the auctioneer who gets the items will use The form of an auction is to sell off, to gain one's own interests and at the same time to test other forces.

When Wu Xie walked into the box on the second floor, he saw Xie Yuchen giving orders to his subordinates.After the man went out, Wu Xie walked over and sat down, and said, "There are quite a lot of people, don't you need to go down?"

Xie Yuchen put his hands on the window, looked at the crowd below with different expressions, and said with a smile: "I almost don't know each other, and going down is just to make trouble for myself."

Wu Xie also walked to the other window, looked at it for a while, and suddenly remembered something, and asked, "By the way, you haven't said yet, what are you going to do with the thing you are looking for, compete to buy it? Or what?"

"Neither, I want to use this as a guideline to investigate the true identity and purpose of the seller, as well as the purpose of the buyer." Xie Yuchen said slowly, "I will communicate with the other party, or negotiate, if there is no accident , we have to understand at least 20 years ago."

"But, it shouldn't have much to do with the buyer, right?" Wu Xie asked suspiciously.

"It has a lot to do with it." Xie Yuchen glanced at the pedestal with the curtains on it, "As I said before, the clue to that thing is an ancient painting with an unknown age. Since the age is unknown, it is impossible to find something in a short time." If you check the age clearly, you can’t determine its value. The people who come here are not simple, and they all have a certain appreciation ability for the value of the item. The value of the item will not be taken lightly, otherwise, this opportunity will not be missed, and I also need to find out the forces behind these people."

"Will the person who wants to sell something appear?" Wu Xie asked, "You don't seem to have met the other party yet?"

"It's not necessarily..." Xie Yuchen hesitated slightly, "It may be the other party's subordinates. After the auction is completed, the two parties will meet and talk, and then I will know who is coming. Before this, we must pay attention to the buyer, and then conduct a comprehensive investigation. Investigation, as a last resort, I'm afraid we have to negotiate."

"It seems that the difficulty is not small," Wu Xie said with a "tsk", "What are you going to do?"

"I'll know when the auction starts, let's watch it first." Xie Yuchen said with a smile.

Just after finishing speaking, the door of the box was opened, and the visitor saw Wu Xie and Xie Yuchen, and walked in, "They are all here."

"Come on, but why are you alone, brother?" Wu Xie asked.

The black glasses shook his head, "I didn't see him, I think he should be coming soon."

The black glasses looked down at the slightly bustling hall, glanced casually, suddenly his eyes froze, and then slowly wandered with a certain figure.

As if he had discovered something interesting, the black glasses raised the corners of his mouth, smiled softly, and said with a wicked smile that only he could hear: "Something is going to happen tonight..."

……

Compared with the hall where people come and go, the back hall without people is too quiet.

The back door was gently opened, and a blue figure walked in, walked around the back hall and entered the hall.

When entering the hall, Zhang Qiling raised his hand and took off his shirt and hat, walked through the dark place where no one was paying attention, and looked at the people around him at the same time.

Sweeping across the strange faces wearing hypocrisy masks, Zhang Qiling walked to the corner of the second staircase expressionlessly, looked in the direction of the high platform, then half-closed his eyes, and slowly scanned all the boxes on the second floor .

Finally retracting his gaze, Zhang Qiling turned around and prepared to go upstairs.

But at this time a figure walked by, but suddenly seemed to have bumped into something, lost his balance on his feet, and when he fell forward screaming, his shoulder slightly touched Zhang Qiling.

Zhang Qiling turned his head to look, the man stood up and turned back to say sorry, the moment he saw Zhang Qiling, his eyes flashed with shock, then quickly retracted his gaze in a panic, and hurried away in a little panic.

Watching the other party quickly disappear into the crowd, Zhang Qiling frowned obviously for the first time, a trace of doubt flashed in his cold eyes, and then a strange cold light appeared, his eyes gradually became complicated.

"Ding Ling——"

A crisp metal bell sounded like raindrops hitting the surface of the lake and spreading ripples. The conversation in the hall gradually disappeared, and everyone looked in the direction of the high platform.

The auction has started.

Withdrawing his gaze, Zhang Qiling walked up to the second floor indifferently.

A tall figure stepped onto the pedestal, and a woman's sweet voice sounded: "Everyone, please take your seats in order, the auction will begin now."

As her words fell, the curtains behind her opened to both sides, and then the lights in the hall suddenly dimmed, and a beam of bright white light hit the center of the high platform.

"This is the first auction item of the day."

In the light, in the rectangular glass standing on the four-corner wooden platform, a piece of tiger head jade carving has a misty light color under the soft white light. The rare purple jade essence, the color is soaked without staining, and it is rounded after years of honing. The smooth jade body has a hazy transparency.

There was a burst of amazement from the audience, those who were interested in jade ornaments were already ready to move, while others who had other plans sat quietly.

"It's actually a jade carving." Wu Xie stared at the object in the glass with curiosity.

"Huh? Do you like jade?" Xie Yuchen looked at it casually and asked.

"I like playing with ancient jade. I have a few jade pendants in my family, but I don't have this kind of purple seed jade. The seed jade is the essence of a jade mine, so it's too rare." Wu Xie said, feeling a little surprised.

Bidding has already started below, and Wu Xie guessed the ultimate value of the jade carving.

Xie Yuchen looked at everyone sitting in the guest seat, and after finding nothing suspicious, he raised his head and looked at the private room on the second floor opposite the hall, but the light was too dim, so he could only take a rough look.

Xie Yuchen made a "tsk" sound and frowned. Just as he was about to look again, his phone rang.

"What's the matter?" Xie Yuchen asked.

"Master Hua, there are quite a few people on the outermost floor of the hall. I looked around and there may be more than 30 people. In addition, there seem to be more people outside. They are all guarding there. It is difficult for me to pass."

Xie Yuchen looked in the direction of the door, and sure enough, there were many figures standing in the shadows.

"Keep staring, and the other party will tell me immediately if there is any movement."

"Yes."

At this time, the bidding below had ended, and the jade carving was finally bought for 80 yuan.

Wu Xie sighed, walked to the table and took a sip of tea, then looked at Xie Yuchen and the black glasses, and said, "Why hasn't my little brother come yet? Doesn't he like watching these?"

"It's indeed possible given his character." Black Glasses said, and looked carefully at the hall, but found no familiar figure, frowned, and scanned the search again.

Wu Xie looked down and saw that another item was already being auctioned.

Wu Xie put down the cup, turned around and walked out.

……

Raising his hand and knocking on the door of Zhang Qiling's room, Wu Xie shouted inside: "Brother, brother? Are you there?"

There is no response inside.

"Brother?" Wu Xie called out again, but there was still no response.He knocked on the door again, finally put down his hand, and murmured: "Isn't it here? Where will it go?"

Looking at the quiet corridor on the second floor, there seemed to be no one there, Wu Xie sighed and prepared to go downstairs to find it.

When he reached the stairs, Wu Xie accidentally tripped over his front foot and almost leaned over to go downstairs, but managed to support the wall with his hands.

Rubbing his ankles, Wu Xie got up and prepared to go downstairs.Looking casually, out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly caught sight of a black figure standing on the balcony to one side, like a ghost in the darkness.

"Who are you?!" Startled severely, Wu Xie turned around and asked nervously, staring at the shadow.

The black shadow moved, Wu Xie took a step back, looked at him vigilantly, and asked again: "Who are you and why are you here?"

This is the room floor on the other side of the second floor, some distance away from the box, but since Zhang Qiling, Black Glasses, and Wu Xie came, no one else has checked in. No one else should have appeared at this moment, and the Black Glasses are still there. In the private room, unless...

"Brother?" Wu Xie called out tentatively.The other party did not speak for a long time, and the silence was the same as that of Zhang Qiling.Wu Xie thought that that person might be Zhang Qiling, so he took a few steps forward, and was about to speak again, when he suddenly realized something was wrong.

Wu Xie knew Zhang Qiling's figure, but the outline of the person in front of him was very different. He was about the same height as Wu Xie, and his overall feeling was completely different from Zhang Qiling's.

"Speak!" Knowing that it wasn't Zhang Qiling, Wu Xie stopped.

"Heh..." The man suddenly smiled, and then walked out of the shadow step by step.

Wu Xie saw the opponent's hand raised, groping for something on his face, and then put down his hand, but there was something extra in his hand.

"You don't know me, do you?" the man said while walking, his voice was a little low, "You should be the most familiar."

When the boundary of the shadow completely receded, Wu Xie finally saw the other party's appearance clearly, but was completely stunned at the moment when he saw clearly, his eyes widened in disbelief, as if he saw a ghost in astonishment.