Chapter 144: Six Billion (Bonus Chapter)
"Ms. Shingetsu, formerly of the Soviet Union's Leningrad Military Department, is the department's recognized strongest Devil Hunter. She has executed missions for years without a single failure. Age: eighteen. Her contracted devil remains confidential. She has hunted over ten individual devils reinforced by fragments of the Gun Devil."
"Ms. Furia, a former Soviet operative, can be described as a 'War Machine.' Her age is no longer relevant, and I believe everyone present here is well aware of her specific history."
"Mr. Baluem, Mr. Oleg, Mr. Sevar, and Mr. Toye are all 'War Machines' of the same caliber. It is inconvenient to go into detail, but I trust everyone here knows exactly what that implies."
The host deliberately concealed the term "Weapon Human" (Hybrid) when introducing Furia and her group, as there were many miscellaneous spectators present. To avoid offending the Soviet military, the Magic City Devil Hunter Association did not make the nature of the hybrids public; they only needed the international representatives to understand.
Even so, the Soviet representatives looked as though they had swallowed something foul. Shingetsu and these hybrids had once been the absolute core strength of their military!
"Why are they all from the Soviet Union? Are the Soviets selling off their entire foundation? But they were just buying up other Devil Hunters like madmen earlier..."
"I don't know what 'War Machine' means, but their strength must be immense to be appearing in the final round."
"It's my first time seeing so many Devil Hunters in one bidding round. Are they being 'bundled' together?"
"..."
The spectators were confused. Most of them were completely unaware of the recent catastrophe that had befallen the Soviet military and had no knowledge of the "Weapon Human" secrets.
"Finally, Mr. Otonashi Chiya. A youth of mixed Chinese and Japanese descent, a genius of unparalleled talent. He has served both the Tokyo Public Safety Bureau and the Leningrad Military Department. In just a month or two, he has hunted countless powerful devils. I will not list his specific achievements here. His contracted devil is the Devil of Rage; he is contracted with others as well, but the specifics remain confidential."
The host's introduction of Chiya was equally vague. The primary reason was that Chiya's most dazzling achievement was... well, the dismantling of both the Soviet military and the Japanese Cabinet. These things simply could not be spoken of in a public forum, or the Devil Hunter Association would face catastrophic repercussions. Regardless, the representatives present already knew his history; no introduction was needed.
"Also, there is Ms. Reze, who is not present today but is also a 'War Machine.' All these Devil Hunters, including Ms. Reze, are subordinates of Mr. Otonashi and will be transferred alongside him."
"Since Mr. Otonashi has no home nation and no self-declared price, the Devil Hunter Association has evaluated a base starting bid of 100 million."
The host's announcement was an absolute bombshell dropped upon the international representatives. They knew exactly what this meant. This was the genius youth who could rival—and even crush—the Soviet military without the Gun Devil... no, "genius" was a pitifully inadequate word. In the parlance of martial arts novels, he was a peerless monster!
Then there was Shingetsu, the strongest from Leningrad, and the six hybrids formerly of the Soviet Union. As long as the Gun Devil itself didn't appear, the combat power of this group was effectively invincible. Perhaps only China's oldest hunter, Quanxi, or the EU's "Santa Claus" could put up a struggle.
In short, a starting bid of 100 million was no exaggeration; in their eyes, it was a steal.
The ignorant spectators were even more electrified.
"A starting bid of 100 million? Are they insane?! When has an International Transfer ever started this high?!"
"This has broken every record in history. It's unprecedented, and it'll be hard for anyone to surpass it in the future. The final sale price is bound to shatter records too... even if it is eight hunters being bundled together, 100 million is just too exaggerated!"
"But the Association's evaluation isn't random. Who on earth is this boy? Everyone else is his subordinate—he must be the key to this entire transfer!"
"No wonder President Jiang invited him personally. The representatives from every nation look so agitated. It's clear they know exactly what he is. The final price for this round is going to go through the roof!"
The surrounding spectators discussed the scene frantically, though they forcibly restrained the urge to record this historic moment with their cameras. International Transfer rules strictly prohibited media personnel, private photography, or the unauthorized spread of information, lest one face legal consequences. With the Devil Hunter Association's reach, tracking down a leaker was child's play.
The host spoke up once more: "And so, the bidding begins!"
The representatives from various nations had been waiting for those exact words, and they immediately began to bid with reckless abandon.
"200 million!"
"Is 200 million all you can muster? 500 million!"
"Sit down, all of you! I bid 1 billion!"
"..."
As the representatives engaged in a fierce bidding war, the representative from China spoke up calmly: "5 billion. Continue, if you will."
A deathly silence fell over the hall the moment the 5-billion mark was set. The spectators were stunned; it was clear China was absolutely determined to secure Otonashi Chiya!
Very few could afford to bid higher than 5 billion; aside from China, only the Soviet Union and the United States possessed such massive capital. However, the Soviet delegation had refrained from participating in this round from the very start. Their military high command had been purged by Chiya, and their relationship with him was far too toxic. Even if they bid the highest, it was highly probable Chiya would refuse to close the deal with them.
Therefore, they chose not to participate at all, if only to save some face. Still, the Soviet representatives felt as if they had swallowed something vile. If only the top brass who had already perished hadn't been so reckless, they might have had a chance to keep Chiya in the Soviet Union. Now, no amount of regret could change the outcome.
"5.1 billion."
As expected, the U.S. representative raised the bid. But they were doing so through gritted teeth; they hadn't prepared a truly massive war chest for this trip, unlike China, which enjoyed the home-field advantage of being the "host." In such a battle of gods, the other nations dared not interject; they simply couldn't afford the price.
However, China did not hesitate. They raised the bid significantly, their tone calm and collected, as if victory were already in their grasp.
"6 billion."
The difference in perspective was clear: other countries saw Chiya as an exceptionally powerful Devil Hunter, but China had already defined him as a "Super Weapon." The nature of the investment was entirely different. To purchase a "Super Weapon" that approached the power level of the Gun Devil's main body for a mere few billion RMB? That was an absolute, undisputed bargain!