Chapter 141: I Finally Found the Auction
Chapter 141: I Finally Found the Auction
The moment the elderly man stepped out of the restroom, Lucas’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Something about him felt different.
It wasn’t his expensive tailored suit.
Nor was it the calm confidence in his footsteps.
It was the way everyone around him reacted.
The nearby staff instinctively lowered their heads as he passed.
Even the security guards standing in the lobby subtly straightened their posture.
This man...
He wasn’t an ordinary guest.
Lucas immediately made up his mind.
He was going to follow him.
Fortunately, he was still wearing the waiter’s uniform.
Among everyone on this floor, the only young faces belonged to the staff.
The guests themselves were almost all middle-aged or elderly men, each carrying an air of authority that came from decades of wealth and influence.
As long as he continued acting like a waiter...
No one would pay him any attention.
Lucas calmly adjusted the tray in his hands before straightening his collar.
He tugged lightly at his tie, making sure it sat neatly beneath the black vest.
Then he lowered the brim of his cap just enough to shadow part of his face.
Only after the old man had walked several meters ahead did Lucas quietly begin following him.
He deliberately kept a safe distance.
Not too close.
Not too far.
Every few seconds, he pretended to stop and straighten a tablecloth, adjust a flower vase, or glance around as though waiting for another order.
To anyone watching...
He looked like an employee simply going about his duties.
The elderly man never once looked back.
His pace remained slow and unhurried.
Eventually, he left the main lobby and walked toward a quiet corner tucked away at the very edge of the floor.
Lucas frowned.
There...
Hidden behind a decorative marble pillar...
Was another elevator.
Unlike the one Lucas had used earlier, this elevator blended almost perfectly into the wall.
There was no obvious sign above it.
No decorative lighting.
No guests wandering nearby.
It was clearly designed to stay unnoticed.
The old man calmly reached into his pocket and produced a golden membership card.
Beep.
A soft green light flashed across the scanner.
The elevator doors slid open almost silently.
Without saying a word, the old man stepped inside.
A second later...
The doors closed again.
Lucas didn’t rush over immediately.
Instead, he remained exactly where he was.
He counted silently in his head.
One...
Two...
Three...
He waited nearly half a minute, making sure no one else was watching.
Only then did he calmly walk toward the hidden elevator.
His heartbeat had already begun to accelerate.
This...
This had to be it.
Lucas slowly pulled John’s employee ID card from his pocket.
Taking a quiet breath, he pressed it against the scanner.
Beep.
A green light instantly flashed.
ACCESS GRANTED
The elevator doors slid open with a soft mechanical hum.
Lucas’s eyes widened slightly.
"...It worked."
He honestly hadn’t expected it to be that easy.
Without wasting another second, he stepped inside.
The doors quietly closed behind him, shutting out the luxurious silence of the private lobby.
A second later...
The elevator began moving.
Lucas instinctively glanced at the display above the door.
His brows slowly knitted together.
"...Down?"
He had expected the elevator to go higher.
Instead...
The numbers were decreasing.
Floor 3...
Floor 2...
Floor 1...
B1...
B2...
The deeper the elevator descended, the heavier the atmosphere seemed to become.
There was no music anymore.
No soft lighting.
Only the faint mechanical hum of the elevator echoed inside the confined space.
Lucas unconsciously tightened his grip on the tray.
Something told him...
He was finally getting close.
Ding.
The elevator came to a smooth stop.
The doors slowly slid apart.
Lucas immediately stepped forward—
Only to stop abruptly.
Standing directly outside the elevator were two heavily armed bodyguards dressed in black suits.
Unlike the guards upstairs, these men looked even more intimidating.
Cold eyes.
Expressionless faces.
Earpieces.
Bulges beneath their jackets where firearms were clearly concealed.
The moment Lucas stepped out, both men moved at the same time, blocking his path without saying a word.
One of them spoke calmly.
"Service hours are over."
Lucas frowned beneath the brim of his cap.
"...Service hours?"
His mind immediately started racing.
Before answering, he casually let his eyes drift past the two guards.
And what he saw...
Made his heartbeat accelerate.
This floor...
Was completely different from every place he had seen since entering the club.
There were no luxurious lounges.
No hotel-like corridors.
No resting guests.
Instead...
Beyond the security checkpoint, a pair of massive double doors stood slightly open.
From the narrow gap, music drifted into the hallway.
It wasn’t loud.
Just enough to let him know something was happening inside.
The lights beyond the doors were unusually dim.
Most of the hall was swallowed by darkness, broken only by soft golden spotlights scattered across different corners of the room.
Lucas slowed his steps almost instinctively.
From where he stood, he couldn’t see the entire interior.
Only fragments.
Elegant chandeliers hanging high above the ceiling.
Guests dressed in expensive suits and evening gowns moving leisurely through the crowd.
Waiters weaving between them with silver trays balanced effortlessly in their hands.
Crystal glasses caught the light every now and then, sending brief flashes across the room.
It looked less like an auction...
And more like an exclusive private party reserved for the richest people in the country.
Laughter rose and fell with the music.
People chatted comfortably in small groups, occasionally raising their glasses for a toast.
Everything appeared relaxed.
Sophisticated.
Almost... ordinary.
But Lucas couldn’t shake the strange feeling creeping over him.
There was something wrong.
He couldn’t explain why.
Maybe it was the unusually heavy security.
Maybe it was the way every guest seemed to arrive through multiple checkpoints.
Or maybe...
It was because, despite all the music and conversation, the atmosphere felt strangely tense.
Like everyone was waiting for something to begin.
Lucas narrowed his eyes, trying to see deeper into the hall.
Unfortunately, the darkness concealed most of the room.
From where he stood...
He could only catch brief glimpses of what was happening inside.
Without giving the guards another chance to question him, he simply lowered his head respectfully.
"My mistake."
"I thought there was one last delivery."
The guards didn’t respond.
Lucas immediately stepped backward into the elevator before either of them became suspicious.
The doors slowly closed once again.
Only after the elevator began rising did Lucas finally let out the breath he had been holding.
His eyes gradually narrowed.
"So..."
"I found it."
"But getting inside..."
"...is going to be much harder."
Now he needed a new plan.
And he needed one fast.