Mecha Chapter 33: Auction

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Sulo

 

Manager Gao led the two to the entrance of the auction room, turned around with a slight smile and said, “I have something else to do, so I’ll excuse myself. I’ll have Lily take you to the VIP box on the top floor. There are quite a few new goods today, including rare and high grade items. I hope you two will be able to bid on what you want and return satisfied.”

Luo XiaoLou and Yates said goodbye to the manager, before being led by Lily to the top floor. Lily glanced grudgingly at Yates, who was staring almost double-eyed at the stage. Obviously it hadn’t started yet, so couldn’t this handsome man just relax and chat or something first — it was so disconcerting.

But the messy black hair, the focused and simple blue eyes, the passionate and fiery personality, almost every part of it hit Lily’s teenage heart hard — it was so sexy and charming!

Lily had no choice but to say to the two of them, “The auction will start soon. You can bid by pressing the button. In addition, the waiter will bring in free drinks and food later. I hope you have a pleasant day here, if you need anything else, you can come directly to me.” After saying that, she looked at Yates again and left, unable to hide her disappointment.

Luo XiaoLou likewise didn’t have time to pay attention to Lily. He was busy covering his chest. 125, the bastard, was very unaware of the fact that he was powering on.

Luo XiaoLou eyed Yates and whispered a warning, “Hey, you said you couldn’t let outsiders find out. Listen, if anything happens, I’ll absolutely throw you out and let you solve your own problems.” 

“Don’t worry, the guy next to you isn’t going to give you half the attention you deserve. Besides, he’s a worse rank compared to Yuan Xi.” 125 said rather calmly, then seemed to remember something and complained, “Well, but last night really freaked me out when Yuan Xi actually took off your clothes and almost kissed me — thankfully the little titty next to me caught his attention — God, that feels awful!”

Little, little titty? Holy shit, where did it learn all this from!?

Luo XiaoLou’s face was already so red it was about to turn purple, damn 125, can’t you just act like a normal A.I.! You’re just a light brain with no human emotions, not a child who’s curious about his parents’ nocturnal activities because he sleeps with them! Luo XiaoLou was already thinking that he should put this guy in the lab when he sleeps. If he continues like this, he’ll definitely bring bad luck — this intelligent light brain!

After a few seconds, Luo XiaoLou, who was blushing with embarrassment, suddenly realized that something was wrong, “Wait, didn’t you say that you’d be in a dead state to keep Yuan Xi from finding out?”

“What a lack of common sense! Don’t humans also have the idea of faking death, okay?” 125 tried to roll its eyes at Luo XiaoLou again, but of course, in Luo XiaoLou’s eyes, it merely flashed, and it continued rather regretfully, “It’s a pity you didn’t continue, I’ve seen quite a few movies where the protagonists are the same gender, and going to the end means love.”

“The end?” Luo XiaoLou asked through gritted teeth with a black face.

125, not noticing in the slightest that the owner of half-beast bloodline had become annoyed, said in a smug tone, “Of course — haven’t you ever seen a movie where men and men, men and women, usually start at the beginning, er, what you did last night, and go all the way to the end. I looked it up on the internet and someone said it’s proof of love —”

Fuck the fucking proof of love! What the hell is this fucking A.I. looking at?

“I’m so sorry I didn’t let you see the end!” Luo XiaoLou said, grinding his teeth, then shoved the green jade hard into his dark lining pocket, ignoring it no matter how much it vibrated.

“Hey! You can’t do that, you’re abusing me —” 125 stammered, it didn’t even know how it had pissed off Luo XiaoLou.

“Uh-huh, you can go ahead and sue me.” Luo XiaoLou said generously, there was no place for cases of A.I.s suing their masters anyway.

“…Okay, I’ll be good, I promise.” 125 vibrated pitifully, whispering, “If I’m like this, can you let me out for a while later?”

“Let’s see how you do.” Luo XiaoLou said, he didn’t want to talk anymore. The auction had already started, and if he kept ribbing 125, he was likely to be discovered by Yates, who had already looked back several times.

“What are you doing there yourself? Come on, the mecha will be out soon.” Yates called out to Luo XiaoLou excitedly, “I’ll pick out the one that suits me later, so you can help me with my reference.”

Luo XiaoLou sat next to Yates. Their box was located on the third floor; the second and first floors were the stands. The entire auction room was designed in a circular shape, and the huge platform in the middle was the auction table.

“Ladies and gentlemen, if you are a mecha warrior, or a mecha enthusiast, please don’t miss the following surprise. Our Heavenly Winter Auction House will present you with the most complete and up-to-date model, with the most attributes and functions of the most advanced mecha!” With the auctioneer’s highly infectious words, ten boxes were held out and placed on the table.

“Here, let’s look at the first mecha,” the auctioneer took out the space button in the box, and after a single press, a black leopard mecha appeared in front of people.

“It’s a rare Tier 2 Clouded Leopard mecha!”

The crowd below also started to get excited. Even if most people liked human-type mecha, there were still a few popular beast-type mecha. The Clouded Leopard mecha was definitely one of them, and it was a Tier 2 mecha, the speed and shell defense were quite amazing.

And this Clouded Leopard mecha had another bright spot. The mecha maker had paired this mecha with a four meter long scimitar. The blue blade was no ordinary weapon at a glance, and after the auctioneer’s introduction, the crowd grew even more boisterous. The damage of the scimitar was just too high!

In the end, the Tier 2 mecha was bought for five million federal coins after people bid for it.

Then came a few more humanoid mechas, all different colors and functions, but all undeniably eye-catching, high-performance mechas.

Luo XiaoLou watched carefully, memorizing the features of each model, occasionally looking over his shoulder at Yates, who was staring intently at the auction table without once pressing the button.

These were all Tier 2 mecha, and the price was too high for him.

It wasn’t until the ninth mecha appeared that Yates cried out in wonder. It was an all-black mecha, armed with a spear as well as a laser cannon. And after the auctioneer’s introduction, the mecha’s attack and defense shocked the entire room again!

Finally, the auctioneer smiled and said, “One more tantalizing piece of news, this is a Tier 3 mecha!”

Tier 3 mecha! On a B Class planet like Planet Anse, it was considered a very high level mecha. Not to mention the military, most of the newest and highest level mecha were usually in the hands of the state. Most of the ordinary mecha warriors had a Tier 1 mecha, while a small number of people had the ability and financial resources to use a Tier 2 mecha and a Tier 3 mecha, which could be said to have reached the point of rarity.

As for the legendary Tier 4 mecha, Planet Anse was allowed to have it, but that mecha had to be obtained through special channels and was not even seen in the normal trade.

Luo XiaoLou noticed that Yates clenched his hands tightly when he saw this mecha, even his breathing increased unconsciously. Naturally, Luo XiaoLou could tell that this mecha was superior to all the previous mechas and was perfect for Yates, but after a quiet glance at the expressionless Yates, Luo XiaoLou sighed inwardly.

They couldn’t even afford a Tier 2 mecha right now, let alone a Tier 3 mecha.

In the end, the ninth mecha was bought for a high price of 13 million federal coins.

The tenth mecha was also a Tier 3 mecha. These two mechas should be the finale of the auction. This last mecha’s attack and defense were slightly inferior to the ninth one, but it was better in its petite form and color, it was obvious that it was a lady mecha.

The ladies present were pleasantly surprised. Naturally Yates couldn’t be interested, and Luo XiaoLou noticed that Yates’s mood had fallen since the ninth mecha had been purchased.

“When we become famous and have more money than we can spend, what kind of mecha do you want?” Luo XiaoLou patted Yates’s shoulder and whispered comfortingly, “And, nowadays, the majority of students in our school still use first class mecha.”

Yates nodded, his smile a little bitter. Luo XiaoLou’s heart wasn’t feeling good either, he had never met anyone who loved mecha as much as Yates did. And that black mecha, indeed, suited Yates.

Finally, Yates said, while barely pulling himself together, “Look again, there’s probably going to be a Tier 1 mecha coming out.” 

Luo XiaoLou nodded, and the two of them looked at the auction table again. Surprisingly, the tenth mecha was bought for the highest price of 15 million federal coins. It seemed that one should never underestimate a woman’s spending power.

Yates participated in the bidding for the second mecha, and tragically, since it was a high level auction, the Tier 1 mecha here was also a small gem property.

The last two Tier 1 mecha were bought at a high price of 1.5 million and 1.7 million respectively.

Luo XiaoLou couldn’t help but say, “It seems that we can’t buy mecha here at all. The most common mecha in the shop outside is one million, and occasionally there are special offers. I’ll walk with you to the mecha shop later.” 

Yates nodded silently and didn’t say anything else. He had only brought over 900,000 federal coins, which was already the sum of his pocket money from his childhood and also his part-time salary.

Just as the two of them were considering whether or not to leave, three more mecha were brought up on the auction table, but this time it was a scrapped mecha. The auctioneer jokingly said it was a small gift from Heavenly Winter, and the starting bid was 10,000 Federation coins. Luo XiaoLou was dumbfounded as he looked at the three war-torn mecha on the stage, and wondered what he could do with these scrapped mecha.

At that moment, Luo XiaoLou’s right arm suddenly hurt, and he turned around to see Yates gripping his arm hard. The frustration and decadence in his eyes was gone. He looked down with excitement, his lips trembling, “God! It’s — it’s ‘Waiting’!”

Luo XiaoLou looked at the obviously different Yates, raised his eyebrows and persuaded, “What ‘Waiting’, you must not be impulsive. Listen to the auctioneer’s reported data, those mecha absolutely can not be used again. There is no possibility of repair, and they can only be broken into parts.”

“Bastard! How could you not know about the ‘Waiting’!” Yates’s eyes even turned red with excitement as he grabbed Luo XiaoLou, pointed to a grey mecha on the far left and quickly said, “See, that’s Admiral Gao Chen’s mecha ‘Waiting’! He’s been out on the battlefield countless times!”

“Huh? An admiral’s mecha? How did it end up in an auction?” Luo XiaoLou was confused.

Yates’ eyes darkened, “Admiral Gao Chen was killed on the battlefield, and that was the year before last. I saw him flying this mecha in the Federation Defense when I was a kid, and he was always my idol.”

“A heroic mecha, even if he died, this mecha should be sent to the National Museum to be properly preserved, right?” Luo XiaoLou frowned.

“…By all accounts, yes. But Admiral Gao Chen turned out to be a member of a rival party to the current ruling party on Planet Anse, and at the time he resented this kind of bureaucratic power struggle, preferring to gallop on to the battlefield instead. Later, not long after the current ruling party came to power, Admiral Gao Chen died in battle and his funeral was held in apparent glory. But in reality, none of his family was properly there to receive him. Now, even the ‘Waiting’ is —” Yates choked, and he suddenly raised his hand to the button and pressed it.

Luo XiaoLou did not try to stop Yates any longer. He had to respect such a hero and such a mecha. Even if it was the end of a hero, it didn’t deserve this kind of treatment of being bought by those who couldn’t recognize it, and then scrapped and destroyed in a junkyard a year or two later.

There had been no offers when it was reported at 300,000 federal coins, but after Yates joined, a would-be buyer actually started competing.

Three battered mechas, now up for 900,000 federal coins!

In a cubicle on the second floor, an obese middle-aged man stared angrily at the stage and bellowed in an angry whisper, “What’s going on?! How are we going to explain this if we don’t finish the mission the Colonel ordered?!”

A henchman-like person beside him was also anxiously sweating, “Boss Shen, we don’t have more money… who knows if these scrapped mecha are also robbed by someone, damn, don’t know which dirt leopard can’t see…”

Boss Shen kicked the person next to him and said angrily, “What’s the use of complaining now? What did I tell you, to bring more money, you —”

The attendant cried out, “You don’t know that, Madam… She said that she won’t let you bring too much money out.”

The fatty seemed to be extremely afraid of Madame and gave the attendant a hard stare, bellowing, “Then why don’t you go and think of a way to get Ding Er to come and deliver the money! We must buy the mecha today, and also make sure to have them all destroyed!”

Looking at Yates’s worried face, Luo XiaoLou silently tapped on his communicator and said, “I still have 100,000 here, you take it first.”

Yates stared in amazement. Luo XiaoLou, this brat, was distressed to death every time he spent money, and the few of them also knew that Luo XiaoLou really didn’t have any money — but now he actually opened his mouth to lend him 100,000 even after he had already spent 100,000 earlier.

Luo XiaoLou laughed and said, “Don’t look at me, that’s all I have, so take it or leave it.”

In the end, Yates directly quoted one million. The audience was silent for a long time, and finally, amidst appalled voices, the auctioneer took three scrapped mecha into the space crystal. The three mechas were successfully auctioned off to Yates.

In the other room, Fatty was sweating coldly, not knowing how to face the colonel.

“XiaoLou, what a brother in the nick of time.” Yates touched the gray space crystal with a pleased smile on his face, happier than he’d ever been to buy the mecha he needed.

Luo XiaoLou also let out a sigh of relief and said, “Fortunately, the other party did not bid any more, otherwise we would not have any more money.” 

Although Lou XiaoLou’s card had a lot of money, it was not his. Liu XiaoLou never spent the money on it except for household use. Secondly, he didn’t even carry it with him.

“Alright, since we don’t have any more money, let’s go back.” Luo XiaoLou said.

“Come on, we’re here, let’s look around some more, just in case we see something nice later — ahem, I know there’s no money, but it’s still good to have a long look.” The heaviness on Yates’s face had been wiped away, and he was back to being that big, sunny boy again.

Luo XiaoLou was speechless.

When he went to the bathroom himself and came back, he had just turned the corner and his hand was already on the doorknob, Luo XiaoLou saw a group of people walking towards him.

As soon as he saw who they were, Luo XiaoLou turned pale and growled in his heart, My God, what kind of nonsense are you playing at? Yuan Xi, Luo ShaoJun, Ling Xu and Yang Ke appeared in front of him.

The four people on the other side apparently saw him as well, and several of them were equally amazed that there was a VIP compartment up here that Luo XiaoLou, who didn’t look like someone who could book such a seat at all, could stay in.

Was there anything more testing and bitter than being grabbed by Yuan Xi outside?! After he’d just told Yuan Xi this morning that he was going to work today?!

Oh no! It was humiliating to be abused in front of an outsider! Either pretend you didn’t see them and hurry inside or say something — Luo XiaoLou thought tearfully in his heart, he was now completely incapable of thinking. In the end, Luo XiaoLou turned his head, without looking away, pretending not to see them, and pushed the door into the room.

The rest of the people all looked at Yuan Xi. Was such a sidekick really okay?

Yuan Xi had been expressionless, but at this moment, his eyes were fierce and his face became quite ugly. He nodded to Luo ShaoTian and Ling Xu and said, “You guys go first, I have something to do.”

The other two agreed, but in their hearts they were even more surprised. Leaving behind the classmates who came with him, even if they chased in to teach Luo XiaoLou a lesson now, Yuan Xi still cared too much about that kid.

Yuan Xi slammed the door shut again after entering, the soundproof door suddenly blocking the other three’s thoughtful view.

Yates had just turned around excitedly and said, “XiaoLou, come on — Yuan Xi?”

Yuan Xi’s face was even more gloomy. Damn it, even if you lied, you still cheated on me with a man!

Luo XiaoLou’s hands and feet began to tremble at the sight of Yuan Xi’s face as he raged. Oh my God — he didn’t want to get beaten up in front of Yates!

“You two are…?” The sunny boy had no sense of humor other than his interest in mecha, and now he was even asking about Luo XiaoLou and Yuan Xi’s relationship.

Luo XiaoLou winked at Yates, but failed, while Yuan Xi caught Luo XiaoLou’s wink and got even angrier.

Damn it, how dare you make eye contact with this adulterer in front of me!

 

The author has something to say: 

125 to Yuan Xi: You’re so stupid! You’re about to overtake Chubby!!