Chapter 436: Crazy Laughing Duo

Two hundred and seven million.

This was an astronomical sum, far exceeding the combined earnings of his senior brothers and sisters over the past four years—and that was before Chen Ling had even sold the major items.

Chen Ling, however, was acutely aware that such a tactic could only be employed once. The immense profit came at the cost of being drawn into the vortex of the five major consortiums. His next step was to navigate this perilous situation, moving strategically between the consortiums and buying time until the major items at the auction house were successfully sold.

Honestly, given Chen Ling's current assets, the sale of those major items was almost irrelevant. He had drained so much from the five major consortiums' cash reserves that it would be difficult for them to bid high on the remaining pieces. Even with other second-tier consortiums participating, a final sale price of thirty million would be considered excellent.

For Chen Ling, however, it wasn't merely about the thirty million. As the "Golden Society Emissary," abandoning his post mid-way was unthinkable. Doing so would effectively declare his guilt to the world and tarnish the reputation of the emissary title. Aside from the potential pursuit by the major consortiums, it would likely complicate any future gold sales for his senior brothers and sisters.

His mission would only be truly complete once he had sold all the gold, departed the Mortal Realm with the vast assets, and returned to the Ancient Treasury of Theatrical Arts. Until then, risks remained.

"Emissary, shall we return to the auction house now?" the driver asked respectfully.

"Yes."

As Chen Ling gave a slight nod, several figures in suits immediately opened the car door for him, and he got in, his face devoid of expression.

The boxes filled with banknotes were meticulously loaded into the cars behind, handled by auction house staff whom Gu Kaixian had specifically assigned to attend to the Emissary, ensuring both security and privacy.

As the vehicle hummed to life and the windows slowly rolled up, two distant figures outside suddenly caught Chen Ling's attention.

"Good heavens... so many boxes, how much money must that be?"

Jian Changsheng watched the frantic movement of the banknote boxes, his voice tinged with envy.

"Must be a hundred or two hundred million?" remarked Red Heart Nine, unconsciously licking his lips. "If we could just rob all that money... we'd be set for life."

"Are you insane?!"

"I was just saying..."

The two had been thoroughly intimidated by the Clown. Regardless of the Emissary's true identity, that inexplicable, grotesque child alone made him an opponent they dared not provoke.

Jian Changsheng sighed deeply. "It's been days since we arrived in the Mortal Realm, and our mission has made absolutely no progress... We've either been hit by grenades, chased through the streets, or clobbered by that inexplicable kid. At this rate, when will we ever finish our task?"

"Oh, right, we *do* have a mission," Red Heart Nine suddenly realized.

Jian Changsheng was speechless.

"Our money's gone, our skills are gone... it can't possibly get any worse than this, can it?" Jian Changsheng tried to motivate himself. He took a deep breath. "Regardless, let's just get out of here first!"

"True. All five major consortiums are here, and there are so many people. It would be terrible if someone recognized us," Red Heart Nine agreed with a nod.

Under the cover of night, the two silently began to slip past the security around the hotel, gradually moving away from the crowds.

However, Jian Changsheng had taken only two steps when he suddenly froze.

"Hey, what are you doing? Let's go!" Red Heart Nine hissed, crouching low as he saw several consortium bodyguards passing nearby.

Jian Changsheng's mouth twitched uncontrollably, as if he were engaged in an intense internal struggle. After a moment, he suddenly broke into a grin...

Red Heart Nine seemed to realize something, let out a curse, and lunged forward, attempting to cover Jian Changsheng's mouth instantly. However, he was a step too late.

"Eee-hahahahahahahahahaha!!!!"

The sudden, uncontrolled laughter ripped through the silent night sky. The bodyguards who had just passed by froze, then spun around to look.

"Who's there?!"

"Hahaha... *muffled*." Jian Changsheng's mouth was now covered by Red Heart Nine.

But the next moment, the laughter seemed contagious. The white ash on Red Heart Nine's face inexplicably contorted into a comical expression, and he himself burst into even louder laughter:

"Eee-hahahahahaha..."

"Eee-hahahahahaha!"

"Eee-hahaha..."

The uncontrollably laughing duo instantly drew everyone's attention. Even several consortium directors looked their way in confusion. Before anyone could fully react, someone in the crowd recognized their faces:

"Aren't those the fugitives who were on the wanted list just two days ago?! I saw them on the poster!"

At that declaration, multiple figures immediately turned and fixed their gaze on the pair, who were still lost in their riotous laughter. It wasn't until Red Heart Nine delivered a backhanded slap to Jian Changsheng that he finally stopped.

"Eee-hahahahaha!!" Red Heart Nine shrieked, still laughing. "What are you laughing at?! Run!!!"

The two figures spun around and sprinted into the distance!

The bodyguards were about to give chase but, as if remembering something, they silently turned to their respective bosses.

"Boss, should we pursue them?"

Three of the five major consortium directors had already departed, leaving only Lu Yuanzheng, the long-time owner of the Red Dust Hotel, and Mu Chunsheng, who had difficulty moving.

Mu Chunsheng cast a casual glance in their direction and said flatly:

"Those who want to earn extra money can go, but if you die along the way, the consortium won't compensate you."

With that, he sat into his car, aided by his son, and closed the door.

Several bodyguards exchanged glances, and three of them nodded before swiftly dashing off in pursuit. After all, catching a wanted fugitive in the Mortal Realm promised a substantial reward—at least two years' worth of their salary.

Lu Yuanzheng also waved his hand, and two more figures burst forth. These appeared to be cultivators of the Divine Path, incredibly swift, disappearing down the road in the blink of an eye.

"Was that...?"

The vehicle moved through the streets, heading directly towards the auction house.

Chen Ling witnessed the scene through the car window, but the next moment his view was obstructed by the dense buildings, completely losing sight of them.

Jian Changsheng and Red Heart Nine? How were they here?

The white ash on the tips of their noses flashed in Chen Ling's mind, and his expression immediately turned peculiar.

"Could it be...?"

His mind raced. After a brief hesitation, he spoke to the driver:

"I need to get out at the next intersection."