Reborn As A Doomsday Villainess-Chapter 47: Regenerative serum

The auction continued, each item unveiling another glimpse into the desperation and ruthlessness of those who had gathered.

Exotic materials, restricted weaponry, and contraband flooded the stage, each selling for astronomical prices.

The room pulsed with tension, the rich scent of expensive liquor mingling with the quiet hum of whispered deals.

Qingran kept her expression neutral, but her thoughts churned. The System Upgrade Token was too valuable to pass up, yet she had no idea what she was bidding on. That alone made her wary.

Feng Yizhou remained unfaze, swirling his wine lazily, his gaze flicking from bidder to bidder. "They’re waiting. It’s quite interesting." he murmured.

Qingran glanced at him. "Who?"

"The real buyers." His lips curled, just slightly. "The ones who didn’t bother bidding on the earlier items. They’re here for something specific."

She followed his gaze.

Scattered throughout the hall, certain individuals sat still, their expressions unreadable. They hadn’t raised their paddles once, hadn’t so much as twitched at the high-ticket items. It was clear they were waiting—waiting for something that mattered to them at least.

And she had a sinking feeling that their target was the same as hers.

Lingquan hummed in her mind. [Smart guess. I’d bet that whatever’s at the end isn’t just valuable—it’s something worth killing over.]

Qingran’s fingers tapped her clutch. The mission said ’at all costs.’ That means the competition was dangerous.

Yizhou stretched, completely at ease. "You still confident you won’t need my help?"

Qingran shot him a sidelong look. "If I say yes, will you stop talking?"

He grinned. "Not a chance."

Before she could retort, the next item was revealed.

A murmur rippled through the crowd.

Beneath the spotlight, a small metal case laid on a velvet cushion, reinforced locks gleaming under the glow. Unlike the previous items, the auctioneer didn’t immediately open it. Instead, he let the tension simmer before speaking.

"For our next item," he said smoothly, "we present something exceedingly rare. A prototype developed in absolute secrecy—a serum designed for rapid cell regeneration. Healing beyond natural limits."

The murmurs grew louder but Qingran’s expression didnt change, but internally, her mind sharpened.

A regenerative serum? That wasn’t the kind of thing that should be circulating pre-apocalypse.

[Lingquan, what the hell is this?]

[Hard to say.] The system’s tone was uncharacteristically serious. [Even if it works, the tech shouldn’t exist yet. Either someone’s messing with forces they don’t understand, or this is stolen from a project way above black-market levels. This is a work of someone that has experienced the previous apocalypse.]

Yizhou let out a low chuckle. "Now that’s interesting."

The auctioneer continued. "To prove its effectiveness, we have arranged a demonstration."

A second assistant entered the stage, guiding forward a man whose arm was tightly wrapped in bandages. His face was pale and his breathing uneven.

The assistant removed the wrapping, revealing a deep, jagged wound, it was still fresh. The man clenched his jaw, clearly in pain. Without hesitation, the auctioneer retrieved a small vial from the case, filled with a translucent blue liquid. He uncapped it and poured a single drop onto the wound.

The effect was instant.

Before their eyes, the torn flesh began knitting itself back together, muscle and skin regenerating at an unnatural speed. Within seconds, the wound was completely gone—leaving behind only clean, unbroken skin.

The silence lasted only for a second. Before the uproar began.

"Ten million!"

"Fifteen!"

"Twenty!"

The room erupted, paddles shooting into the air as the bidding war ignited.

Qingran remained silent, watching as they called prices she couldn’t afford to say.

[Do we need this?]

Lingquan was quiet for a moment before responding. [Not as much as what’s coming next. But if you could get it, it’d be useful.]

She weighed her options. The System Upgrade Token was the priority, but something like this... it could change things.

Before she could decide, a voice cut through the bidding.

"Fifty million."

The entire room stilled.

From the upper balcony, the silver-haired man lowered his paddle, his crimson-eyed companion watching with lazy amusement.

A pause. Then, the auctioneer smiled, this was going better than she had expected. "Fifty million yuan. Any other bidders?"

The other competitors hesitated. Even among the elite, that was an absurd amount to throw on a single item.

"Fifty million going once."

"Going twice."

"—Sixty million."

Qingran turned her head, mildly surprised.

Yizhou had raised his paddle, a pleasant smile on his face as if he hadn’t just dropped an additional ten million without blinking.

The silver-haired man’s expression didn’t change, but something flickered in his gaze, annoyance maybe.

"Seventy."

"Seventy-five."

The girl beside him let out a small laugh, resting her chin on her palm. "Oh? This just got fun. But don’t you think he’s playing with you brother? He seems to have figured about us."

Qingran barely resisted the urge to sigh. Of course, he’d start a fight.

"Yizhou, what the hell are you doing?" She whispered.

He didn’t look at her, still watching the balcony with a lazy smirk. "Testing something."

The silver-haired man exhaled through his nose, barely a motion, before raising his paddle again. "Eighty-five."

Yizhou leaned back. "Eighty- six."

Then, for the first time, the man smiled. "One hundred."

A low murmur rippled through the room.

Qingran’s fingers tapped the glass stem in her hand. The man was testing them just as much as Yizhou was. But more importantly, something was off about this whole situation.

[One hundred million yuan,] Lingquan noted. [That’s beyond just ’I want it.’ That’s ’I won’t let anyone else have it.’]

"One hundred going once—"

Yizhou finally lowered his paddle, looking entirely too amused. "All yours."

The gavel struck with a loud thud.

The silver-haired man didn’t react beyond a slight nod. His companion, however, turned her gaze fully toward them, her lips curled in amusement.

Qingran met her stare, giving a smile that irked the girl.

A silent exchange passed between them, unreadable to outsiders.

Then, the girl chuckled and looked away.

Yizhou drained the last of his wine. "Well. That was fun."

Qingran exhaled slowly. "If you’re done playing, let’s focus. The last item is what we came for."

He grinned. "You mean what you came for. I just enjoy high-stakes entertainment."