Wasteland: I Awakened A Plant System

That’s right, they were the Ghost Shelter members on motorcycles and electric bikes.

Previously, after Snape dealt with them outside, they didn’t slink away; instead, they followed the group into the auction hall at the very end.

Because being chased away by Snape was too embarrassing, they hid for quite a while, so they didn’t witness what happened with Vikram and the others outside.

This led to them still daring to make a move on Stella.

Seeing that Vikram had no reaction for a long time after he finished speaking, he thought Vikram was intimidated by him, and looked proudly in Stella’s direction.

For ruffians like them, what they loved most was to show off in front of beautiful women, even if there was no need, they liked to put on a show.

Now that he had intimidated the man of this curvy little beauty, he felt incredibly smug.

He even completely forgot that his subordinate was still being held by Vikram.

His gaze constantly flickered, occasionally landing on Stella’s voluptuous figure, and his blood surged, immediately giving rise to other thoughts.

"Kid, now you know how formidable we Ghost Shelter members are?"

"I doubt you’ve ever seen something as good as a motorcycle in the Wasteland."

"I can overlook the matter of your woman slapping my brother."

"However, you injured my brother for no reason today, that can’t just be over."

The Survivor, who had just said the matter was settled, changed his tone and brought it up again.

"Either you fix my brother’s broken wrist today, or... you compensate us with your woman."

"Otherwise, when the auction ends, you won’t be able to leave, and you’ll pay with your lives for my brother’s hand."

Perhaps because Vikram had remained silent, or for some other reason, the other party’s tone became increasingly arrogant as he spoke.

Listening to the threats from the other party, Vikram was truly amused.

He had been wondering why, despite his high-profile presence causing most Survivors present to fear Snape’s bids, someone still dared to cause him trouble.

It turned out these Ghost youngsters were completely clueless.

Not bothering to listen to the other party’s long string of nonsense, he was met only with Vikram’s merciless punch to the face.

"Pfft!" A punch, impossible to react to, landed squarely on the face of the still chattering Survivor.

Vikram did not hold back.

After this blow, the other members of the Ghost Shelter noticed that their boss’s face was completely caved into his head.

By the time Vikram slowly moved his hand away, the Survivor who had been constantly eyeing Stella was already beyond dead.

Coming to their senses, they looked panicked; things had escalated to an undeniable point, and they no longer cared about disturbing the auction’s order.

As terrifying as Lilith was, could she be more terrifying than losing one’s life so silently?

They all opened their mouths wide, wanting to scream.

However, someone was faster than them.

Ron and the others had simply not made a move, which didn’t mean they hadn’t noticed the situation here.

In fact, if Vikram hadn’t signaled them not to act hastily, these Ghost youngsters would have been dealt with long ago.

It wasn’t too late now.

As the few were about to shout for help, Ron and his three companions, who had circled behind them, seized the opportunity and covered their mouths first.

Then, with a clean twist to their necks, "Crack!"

With a crisp sound, all of them, without exception, fell dead in the auction hall.

He had initially not intended to kill the other party; breaking one of their hands as a lesson for a minor conflict was already harsh enough.

But these Ghost youngsters had no sense of observation and insisted on threatening Vikram directly.

If they had kept their aggressive intentions to themselves, Vikram might have let them off the hook.

Now that they had spoken out, even if they hadn’t actually made a move yet, Vikram had no intention of keeping these people alive.

From beginning to end, apart from Lilith and Evan, who subtly glanced in Vikram’s direction, no one else noticed the tragedy that had occurred here.

Even though the blood of the Survivor whose wrist Vikram had forcibly broken flowed across the floor, the cold weather meant there was almost no smell of blood.

Vikram felt somewhat fortunate that he was seated in the second-to-last row of the auction seats.

With the rear position on the left and the rather sturdy bodies of Ron and the others blocking a bit, otherwise, this auction might have ended prematurely because of these few ruffians.

Collecting the bodies of these ruffians and the motorcycles and electric bikes that dropped from them into his storage, Vikram returned to his seat without changing his expression, as if everything that had just happened had nothing to do with him.

Stella, after seeing that, felt pleased.

—

The auction was drawing to a close.

During this time, he continued to use the same tactic.

As long as Snape dared to bid, Vikram would inevitably raise the price, using it to trick the old man.

"Thank you, all my friends and esteemed guests, for gracing Crimson Desire Shelter with your presence at our Wasteland auction."

"It’s getting late, and I’m sure that after the auction ends, the crystals promised to each guest will be delivered as scheduled."

"And for the esteemed guests who have successfully bid on auction items, in addition to enjoying a free meal of one meat and two vegetable dishes, you can also stay for free for one night at Crimson Desire Shelter!"

Originally, only free meals were offered, but the outcome of today’s auction had completely exceeded Lilith’s expectations.

Although it started a bit rough with Snape causing trouble, with Vikram’s intervention later on, the auction not only got back on track, but the price of each auctioned item was significantly higher than initially estimated.

With Snape’s high-priced purchases, other Survivors, for the sake of appearances, also kept their bids high.

One auction alone had earned Lilith’s Shelter a fortune.

So, she decided to offer some free gifts to the Survivors who bought auction items.

Crimson Desire Shelter had no shortage of rooms for living, so this small gift was harmless to her.

In fact, she might even make another profit.

She believed that most of these Survivors, staying here for one night, wouldn’t be able to resist finding some fun with the young women in the Shelter.

She only offered free accommodation as a gift, not payment for services; wasn’t this another source of income?

Lilith was delighted, and the other Survivors were equally pleased to hear this.

After all, they had traveled a long way and it would take a lot of time to return, so they had already planned to stay overnight and find some women to spend time with.

As soon as she said this, it was a win-win situation.

The atmosphere, which had gradually quieted down as the auction neared its end, was reignited.

"Oh!"

"Director Lilith is generous!"

"To repay the Director, I’ll definitely pick a few more girls today to boost your business!"

Jokes like these were endless below the stage, and Vikram was also quite amused.

When discussing topics of a ’colorful’ nature, even Survivors who usually treated each other like enemies became harmonious at this moment.

Vikram turned his head and looked at the four big men sitting behind him.

His Shelter was not as open as other Shelters, offering female slaves for its members to enjoy.

There were certain bottom lines that couldn’t be crossed; even if Vikram were a beast, he couldn’t do such a thing.

However, weren’t there plenty of ’live’ options right here in Crimson Desire Shelter?

The rules in Lilith’s Shelter also seemed to require consent for such activities.

Since it was a matter of mutual willingness, he wouldn’t meddle too much.

"I’ve seen how loyal you all are."

"The Shelter has limited conditions and can’t satisfy you, but since you’re already here today, I can make an exception for you to try."

"How about it? Are you interested? If you want to, I’ll pay for it."

Vikram gave them a knowing smile and said.

Since Ron and the others joined his Shelter, they had been absolutely meticulous in their work.

They were basically on call and did whatever they were told.

Vikram felt that giving them appropriate small rewards was perfectly fine.

However, to his surprise, except for Draco, who showed some interest, the others rejected Vikram without any hesitation.

Vikram looked at the Weasley brothers with a surprised expression.

"I can understand Harry Bro having a wife, but you two brothers don’t want to go?"

"If it’s to save money, don’t worry about it. Your territory’s boss isn’t short on that, so there’s no need to be concerned."

Who knew that Ron, who was never hesitant in a fight, would be embarrassed now.

"Hehe, Brother Vikram, don’t mind my rough appearance, but I’m not interested in these women."

"It’s not that they’re not pretty enough; it’s just that I prefer women who can live a simple life, not those who mess around like this."

Rubbing the back of his head, Percy also nodded vigorously.

"Brother Vikram, me too."

Vikram chuckled, thinking that these two brothers were truly honest men, and seeing this, he didn’t force them.

Standing on the platform, Lilith watched the excited crowd in the auction, feeling both thrilled and helpless.

She was thrilled to know that, as she had expected, she would make a huge profit, but helpless because the auction wasn’t completely over yet.

"Cough cough!"

"Everyone, please quiet down. Everything promised to you will be delivered later, not a single thing less."

"However, before that, there is one last item in this auction, and it is also the highlight of the entire auction."

"Before you get too excited, how about we take a look at this item first, and then discuss the subsequent matters?"

When Lilith finished speaking, a strong sense of confidence clearly reappeared on her face.

Her previous belief in the shadow clairvoyance orb’s reception had not satisfied her, so for her to show such an expression now, this auction item was clearly extraordinary.

Not only Vikram thought so, but the other buyers present also shared the same thought.

"Seriously, Director Lilith, why didn’t you say so earlier?"

"After one auction, my savings are almost depleted, and now you bring out the best item?"

"Exactly, Director Lilith, why didn’t you wait until I went home to sleep? My pockets are empty, how can I snatch this good item now?"

Lilith knew they were just joking, but she still said in a slightly apologetic tone, "I apologize, everyone. When I invited you all earlier, I mentioned there would be a treasure auctioned that could enhance personal strength."

"I was referring to this twentieth item, which is also the final highlight."

As she spoke, the Survivor responsible for transporting the items ascended the stage again.

To everyone’s surprise, this item turned out to be another sphere, similar in appearance to the shadow clairvoyance orb.

However, compared to the previously glowing white orb, even these Survivors without system analysis could tell that this one was unusual.

From the dazzling blue light emanating from its body and the ocean wave carvings on the sphere, one could tell that this item was extraordinary.

It practically had "I am a treasure" written all over it.

While everyone was amazed by the treasure they had never seen before, Vikram was no exception.

As soon as the curtain covering the last auction item was removed, he used his system analysis, and now, half a minute later, his gaze still couldn’t move away.

"As you can all see, this is also an orb that has a chance to grant special abilities."

"However, compared to the shadow clairvoyance orb, whose effects you were not entirely satisfied with earlier, this orb offers the chance to gain superhuman abilities."