The meeting room was noisy, with everyone criticizing each other and shirking responsibility. The elite attitude of the past had been completely lost. The hole dug this time was too big for anyone to bear, and everyone feared the wrath of the Celestial Dragons.
"Alright! What a noise! Quiet!" A senior executive stood up, slamming the table and shouting.
The mutual criticisms stopped. The conference room returned to silence. But everyone looked panicked and uneasy.
"It is meaningless to accuse now. The key is how to save one's life under the wrath of a Celestial Dragon!" the senior executive said with a solemn expression. He seemed to have some authority. When he spoke, everyone looked at him without making a sound.
"My suggestion is to directly invite Saint Lakeman to participate in the auction," the executive said slowly.
The others' expressions suddenly changed. This meant giving up their wealth and, worse, becoming retainers of the Celestial Dragons. This ending was only slightly better than being a slave.
"You have to do this if you want to save your life." The senior management glanced around expressionlessly and said coldly, "Or do you think offending the Celestial Dragons is a simple matter?"
Everyone was speechless. The air in the conference room was deathly silent. No one sitting there was naive enough to think they could stand up to the Celestial Dragons. They had only been able to exploit the stupidity of the Celestial Dragons for their own benefit. The 300% profit was too tempting, even if there was a risk of losing their heads, they were willing to do it.
Of course, that was fearlessness when blinded by interests. Once death approached, no matter how greedy your heart was, it had to stop.
"But can this really save our lives?"
"Yes, what we deceived was not one or two Celestial Dragons, but dozens..."
"Now we may have a chance to spread out and escape."
"Celestial Dragons are moody. What if we defect to them and are killed for any reason?"
"Safety is not guaranteed."
In the conference room, everyone expressed their concerns. They worried that if they admitted their mistakes and asked for mercy, they would still be liquidated and killed. It would be better to run away now, go to the vast sea, and find a corner to hide in; maybe there was a glimmer of hope.
"Our big boss is from one of the World Government franchise countries in West Blue. According to the rules, the World Government will not take action against the franchise countries," the senior executive said calmly.
"Also, Saint Lakeman is different from other Celestial Dragons. He did not kill our ace salesman but only punished him. This is a rare act of mercy and kindness."
The senior executive glanced at the salesman sitting next to him, his face as swollen as a ball. His mouth was a mess of broken teeth and blood, and his eyes were hollow sockets of pain. Others also looked over, their eyes flickering. The ace salesman had no expression on his face and let everyone look at him.
"And this kindness and mercy can be used by us," the senior management smiled slightly and said confidently. "When the time comes, we will shift the auction and we can escape smoothly. With years of experience and accumulation, we can start anew anywhere."
After hearing this, everyone's eyes lit up. It almost touched their hearts. The auction was just a platform, and the reason why it made money was all because of the people who ran the platform, that is, elites like them. As long as they escaped safely, they could always build a new platform elsewhere. Not only would their lives be saved, but their money would also be saved.
"As expected of the general manager, this analysis is so insightful!"
"I feel confident after hearing this."
"Yes, the most important thing now is to save our lives."
"This auction is our redemption note."
"Without further ado, let's make a new plan and 'ask' for forgiveness from that Celestial Dragon!"
Everyone got excited. The originally dead atmosphere became fiery again. Many people rolled up their sleeves and looked ready for a big fight.
No one noticed that the ace salesman lowered his head deeply, his face full of despair. As the only person who had been in contact with Lakeman, he didn't think the plan of these elites would work.
That Celestial Dragon was not someone who could be fooled. Besides, when faced with a life-and-death crisis, these top executives and backbones were still thinking of using opportunistic methods to deceive the Celestial Dragons' forgiveness. Even if they were deceived for a while, weren't they worried about being exposed later?
"Crazy, these guys are crazy..." The ace salesman's face was ashen. If there was any hope before, then when the top management and the backbone decided to do this, it would be a dead end.
Backstage at the auction, waves of commotion came from outside. Fortunately, the management responded promptly and asked the security team to increase patrols and severely punish the employees who escaped. This stabilized the situation. But internally, people were still anxious and rumors were spreading.
"Did you hear?" Rayleigh, the shipwright, was sitting in a corner with a slight movement in his heart. Through his Haki, he collected a few words from employees and sorted out the truth behind it.
The little trick the auction used to fool the Celestial Dragons was exposed. The wrath of the Celestial Dragons was about to fall.
"A bunch of idiots!" Rayleigh shook his head and exhaled slightly.
"Even if the Celestial Dragons don't realize they have been deceived, the guards and CPs around them will find out sooner or later, and then there will be a thunderous reckoning."
"Today's young people underestimate the World Government!" Rayleigh sneered inwardly. He didn't care about the life or death of the people at the auction. If something went wrong, he could run away at any time.
"The Celestial Dragons are angry. The auction should be gone," Rayleigh thought.
"It will take at least half a year for the next group of forces to compete for the auction. In other words, I won't be able to make money this way for at least half a year."
"Tsk, when chaos breaks out, let's pick up some money." Rayleigh made up his mind and closed his eyes, waiting patiently for the auction to break out.
Celestial Dragons Hotel.
A group of senior executives and key personnel, forming a team of more than twenty people, respectfully requested to visit Lakeman. After getting consent, they walked in softly with flattering smiles on their faces and hunched waists.
If the middle and lower-level employees of the auction saw this scene, they would be shocked. Inside the auction and in this numbered area, these people were like earth emperors, able to command thousands and affect the life and death of countless caravans. But in front of Lakeman, they flattered, nodded, and bowed like good dogs.
Lakeman sat in his lavish room, a cold expression on his face as he watched the group file in. The atmosphere was tense, the weight of impending punishment hanging heavily in the air.
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