"I'm done! I'm done!"
Qin Xiao waved his hand, tossing his Tang Dao to the ground.
"Unless I'm so fast you can't react, I can't break through your shield. But that was exhilarating! I've never unleashed that many strikes in one go before!"
"You were much stronger today than last time. There were several times I almost couldn't keep up with your changes in direction. But you know, your changes require you to shift your stance, while my shield only needs a slight adjustment—left, right, up, or down."
Captain America was right. When defending with a shield, you naturally had an advantage. Especially if you controlled your body well, the shield could cover nearly half your torso.
"How was it, Captain? How was your trip to Africa the other day? Those terrorists were brutal, weren't they?"
A few days ago, the Captain had taken Aleksey to Africa to eliminate an illegal armed group that had been occupying eastern Africa and long-term kidnapping local young men to mine diamonds.
"Aleksey was too reckless. He completely ignored the agreed-upon battle plan and nearly injured innocent miners!"
Speaking of this, the Captain sighed with resignation. Aleksey had pestered him relentlessly to join the mission; otherwise, the Captain would have preferred to bring Qin Xiao along.
"Hahaha!"
Qin Xiao knew just how unreliable Natasha's so-called father was.
"Don't worry," the Captain said. "I gave them a sum of money. He and Melina are taking Yelena and Antonia on a world tour. He probably wants to tag along with you to compete with you in his mind."
"You know, when he first became a Super Soldier, he was called the Soviet Captain!"
The Captain certainly understood the implication. He had thoroughly studied post-World War II world history.
"Is Antonia really doing alright?"
The Captain had been at the base for some time and had heard Antonia's story.
"The psychologist says she needs to get out more and see the world. Although Aleksey is unreliable, I believe he can partially make up for the fatherly love Antonia lacks."
"Also, regarding the diamond mine in Africa, we'll arrange for people to mine it. After we recover the cost of the equipment, we'll only charge a management fee. The rest of the profits will be used to help them build schools and hospitals in the local area, and the remainder will be distributed to each family according to a set ratio. Rest assured!"
The Captain nodded with a smile. Qin Xiao and Tony had thought of these matters more thoroughly than he had expected.
Money in this world held little meaning for Qin Xiao. The Red Room had controlled astronomical resources, and he was slowly learning to spend them wisely.
For example, at a recent auction, several ancient Chinese artifacts and calligraphy scrolls were up for sale. Qin Xiao bought them all and had them returned to China through the Chinese embassy.
This time, Christie's was holding another auction at the Grand Palais in Paris. Two precious Chinese treasures were up for bid: the Rat Head and the Rabbit Head from the Twelve Zodiac Bronze Heads.
The Twelve Zodiac Bronze Heads, originally a set of twelve, were once displayed in China's imperial gardens as a decorative water clock, with each animal head arranged in a circle.
Arranged according to the twelve two-hour periods of the day, each animal head continuously spouted water. At noon, a spectacular scene unfolded as all twelve heads spouted water simultaneously.
Unfortunately, due to historical reasons, the twelve Chinese zodiac animal heads were scattered across the globe and remain incomplete to this day. Qin Xiao was determined not to let this opportunity pass.
In addition to these two national treasures, there was a final, grand item rumored to also originate from China. Christie's had been particularly secretive about this lot, not even releasing a photograph.
"What do you think? Still wondering what the last item is? It's about to start—we'll find out soon enough."
Tony had never been particularly interested in auctions. When he wanted something, he usually had Pepper handle it. That's why Natasha was accompanying Qin Xiao this time.
"I don't know. I've been feeling strange all day, uneasy. I wonder if it's my period coming on!" Qin Xiao mumbled, looking down.
Natasha smiled and pinched Qin Xiao. "Well, you'll have to tell me all about it when we get back. I've never experienced that before!"
As they chatted idly, the auction officially began.
Qin Xiao wasn't particularly interested in famous paintings, calligraphy, or antiques.
He spent the time quietly chatting with Natasha.
Until the Twelve Zodiac Bronze Heads were brought out.
The first item up for auction was the Rat Head.
"The next item for auction originates from the mysterious land of China. Designed by the Italian painter Giuseppe Castiglione over 200 years ago, supervised by French craftsmen, and crafted by Chinese Imperial artisans..."
Though everyone knew the history of the Chinese zodiac animal heads, the auctioneer still gave a detailed introduction on stage.
"This item starts at three million euros. Each bid must be at least two hundred thousand euros. Let the bidding begin!"
As the auctioneer spoke, he brought down his gavel, announcing the start of the Rat Head auction.
"Three million! Bidder 121 is first with three million!"
Qin Xiao didn't rush to bid. Instead, he waited for the price to rise slowly, allowing the true competitors to emerge.
Soon, the Rat Head's price soared to a high of eight million euros.
At this point, the number of participants began to dwindle. Only then did Qin Xiao raise his paddle.
"Ten million!"
Qin Xiao's bid of an additional two million immediately conveyed his determination to win.
The auctioneer gasped in surprise.
"Ten million euros! No. 66 bids ten million euros—a two-million-euro jump in one go! It seems Mr. Qin is determined to acquire this piece."
"Mr. Qin has been making frequent appearances at major auctions lately, recovering many Chinese artifacts scattered abroad. I personally admire his patriotic spirit. However, the auction must continue. Does anyone wish to bid higher than Mr. Qin?"
The auctioneer prattled on, his words designed to stoke the flames of competition and delay the final hammer fall, all to drive up the price.
Qin Xiao merely frowned slightly and said nothing.
"I bid eleven million euros!"
As expected, after the auctioneer's lengthy spiel, a bidder with the number 146 raised their paddle.
Qin Xiao glanced at the bidder. Like himself, they had black hair and dark skin.
Could they be Chinese?
"He's Japanese—Hishiguchi Kohei. The eldest son of Hishiguchi Shunsuke, a major shareholder in Hishiguchi Heavy Industries. Their family has deep ties to both the military and the yakuza in Japan, comparable to Stark Industries' status in America."
Natasha, sensing Qin Xiao's thoughts, quickly leaned in and whispered the explanation in his ear.
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(End of Chapter)