I am the Clone of a Death Row Inmate

Chapter 186: Chapter 168: Meeting the Enemy Again

’I wonder which of my skills the Miracle Spring Water can upgrade...’ Su Ze mused. But another problem was weighing on him: he was out of money!

Everyone was eyeing that single drop of Miracle Spring Water, and he only had 200,000 points left on him. It was nowhere near enough.

Even before his recent spending, he had less than 500,000 points, which wouldn’t have given him any hope either.

”So frustrating...” Su Ze sighed. A material that could improve him was right in front of his eyes, yet he had no money to buy it.

Mr. Ya could tell Su Ze was extremely interested in the Miracle Spring Water and guessed he might be short on funds. ”I have over two hundred thousand points on my card,” he offered. ”Why don’t you take them for now?”

Su Ze waved his hand. ”I’ll let you know if I need it.”

Even with Mr. Ya’s points, it was far from enough.

’Should I try to raise some money?’ Su Ze wondered. With his connections, it wouldn’t be hard to borrow some.

He had a sister who owned multiple patents for Evolutionary Technology, a ”former father” who was eager to give him money, and a close friend in Mr. Atago. If all else failed, he could just borrow a little from the Dongli Kingdom!

This thought gave Su Ze a bit more confidence.

He and Mr. Ya checked into the VIP accommodations at the Oasis Commerce Headquarters, and then he started making calls to borrow money.

He didn’t ask to borrow directly. Instead, he called each of them to touch base and inquire about the approximate amount he could potentially borrow.

For the time being, Su Ze only mentioned the matter to Liou Wenxin and Mr. Atago. As for the Zhao Family and the official government of the Dongli Kingdom, he wouldn’t ask them for a loan unless he had absolutely no other choice.

After two calls, both Liou Wenxin and Mr. Atago promised Su Ze a considerable sum.

To Su Ze’s surprise, his own sister had quietly amassed a huge fortune, almost all of it from her profit shares in the Life Pharmaceutical Company.

With that, Su Ze had a rough idea of how much capital he could access. His plan was to bid as high as he could at the auction; he would only borrow the money if he actually won the item. If he didn’t, there would be no need.

Since Su Ze had already seen basically everything at the trade fair, he didn’t return to the exhibition hall for the next two days. He spent his time in the reception area, eating, drinking, and digesting the extract.

He also absorbed the resin from the Oasis Mother Tree.

The resin surprisingly enhanced his Regeneration Body skill again.

The Regeneration Body skill had already been upgraded once, and now, with another enhancement, it could truly be considered a third-tier, S+ grade skill.

The previously upgraded Regeneration Body already had the effect of accelerating stamina and evolutionary power recovery, but those effects depended on the Regeneration Core.

In other words, when the Regeneration Core shattered, these effects would disappear, only returning once the core reformed.

But after this latest enhancement, the accelerated recovery of stamina and evolutionary power was no longer dependent on the Regeneration Core. The effect had been integrated directly into Su Ze’s body, becoming an inherent part of him.

Regeneration Body: Grants the user powerful regenerative abilities, allowing for self-healing of any injury, including mental trauma, and significantly boosts the recovery rate of stamina and evolutionary power. Condenses a ”Regeneration Core” anywhere within the body. When the Regeneration Core shatters, the life energy it contains will instantly heal all injuries.

Two days later, Su Ze finished digesting the Sand Blind Snake Extract in his system.

However, he couldn’t absorb another vial of extract just yet, forcing him into another ”Gap Period.” To him, this downtime was just a waste of time.

The ideal situation, of course, would be a seamless transition: finishing one vial of extract and immediately starting the next.

But to be able to absorb a fourth-tier extract, which was above his current level, Su Ze had no choice but to wait.

’This Gap Period can’t be a total waste, though. I’ll need to find some potent supplements later. Taking them while I dance should also boost my constitution a bit...’ Su Ze schemed inwardly.

Although boosting his constitution with supplements was much slower than absorbing and digesting extracts, every little bit counted, and he couldn’t afford to waste anything.

...

The Oasis Commerce Association’s three-day trade fair concluded, and on the fourth day, the auction arrived as scheduled.

Su Ze and Mr. Ya went to the auction hall early to claim their seats.

At this kind of auction, the best seats weren’t at the front. Those positions made it easy for others to watch you, especially when you were bidding.

So, Su Ze and Mr. Ya picked seats at the very back.

People began to trickle in, and Su Ze and his companion sat in the corner, observing the arrivals.

This auction had a fairly high barrier to entry.

Only Platinum members of the Oasis Commerce Association and above could bring guests. Those who didn’t meet the requirement had to pay a hefty security deposit for entry.

As a result, everyone attending the auction had some degree of status and wealth.

You could tell just from their auras that there were many powerful individuals in the crowd.

That’s... Su Ze’s gaze suddenly sharpened, fixing on a man in a suit among the crowd.

It was him!

The Tiger King General!

Su Ze recognized the expert from the Ancient An Country, nicknamed the ”Tiger King General,” at a single glance. He’d always had an excellent memory—as long as an enemy was still alive, he would never forget them.

’He’s here for the auction, too?’

By the looks of it, he had come alone, with no entourage.

Su Ze found it strange. The Ancient An Country was a great distance away, and as a powerful nation with abundant resources, it shouldn’t lack for much. The Tiger King General was also an official of the Ancient An Country, so what could possibly attract him all the way here, across thousands of miles, for an auction?

While the Miracle Oasis had many ”specialty products,” most of them had substitutes. If there was anything truly irreplaceable, it would be the resources that came from the Oasis Mother Tree.

In that case, the Tiger King General was most likely here for the Miracle Spring Water.

Soon, an elderly man took the stage and gave a brief speech, which was nothing more than thanking everyone for their support and welcoming them to the auction.

This elderly man was the vice president of the Oasis Commerce Association whom Su Ze had met before.

After the vice president’s speech concluded, the host took the stage and announced the official start of the auction.

The first item up for auction was no simple thing—it was the Qiankun Wood Fruit!

”The Qiankun Wood Fruit! It contains a pocket dimension and can be used to craft storage items. The starting bid is 700,000! Each increment must be at least five thousand!”

The 700,000 here referred not to the common currency of the Lin Hua Continent, but to 700,000 Oasis Commerce Association points. Of course, points from Evolutionary Technology and Life Pharmaceutical could also be used as substitutes.

”Seven hundred ten thousand!”

”Seven hundred fifteen thousand!”

”Seven hundred twenty thousand!”

”...”

Su Ze sat silently in the corner, uninterested in these items.

There was no real mystery to the items in this auction; everyone had already seen them at the trade fair.

Therefore, Su Ze’s goal was clear: the Miracle Spring Water.

And the Spirit Root Tree Marrow. If the price was right, he would bid on it as well. If not, he would have to let it go.

In the auction hall, bids rang out one after another, driving the atmosphere to new heights again and again.

Every time a high-grade Evolution Item appeared, it would trigger a fierce bidding war.

Item after item found a buyer.

But Su Ze remained unmoved, his eyes fixed silently on the Tiger King General.

The Tiger King General, just like him, had remained silent from the start, not placing a single bid.

”Next up for auction is the marrow from a fourth-tier Spiritual Plant, the Spirit Root Tree! It can extend one’s life and heal injuries. The starting bid is 500,000! Each increment must be at least two thousand!”

Su Ze’s gaze finally shifted to the stage.

He hadn’t expected that small vial of Spirit Root Tree Marrow to have a starting bid as high as 500,000 points.

But the bidders were even more frantic.

”Six hundred thousand points!”

”Six hundred fifty thousand!”

”Seven hundred thousand!”

”Seven hundred thirty thousand!”

The price skyrocketed, approaching a million in the blink of an eye!

Su Ze observed that the most aggressive bidders were all elderly.

The more Spirit Root Tree Marrow one consumed, the less effective it was at extending life. This small vial could probably grant an extra year or so, two years at the absolute most.

But the value a person could create in those two years varied greatly.

It wouldn’t be worth it for an ordinary person to spend billions to extend their life by a year or two, but what about a dying Saint-level expert?

Even an expert at the Butterfly Stage might be able to earn back those billions if they could live for another year or two.

Su Ze realized he had still underestimated the value of life-extending medicine.