The whole nation: You're put to survive on a desolate planet, you'll be running an alien b

The rain poured down, and black waves churned in the night, like countless ghostly hands reaching out from the abyss, trying to drag the steel behemoth sailing on the sea surface into the ocean. But under the bright beams of searchlights in the distance, the Poseidon remained as steady as a mountain, cutting through the waves.

Li Haotian stood at the edge of the dock, raindrops dripping from the hem of his black trench coat. He took off his glasses and casually wiped the fog off the lenses. His eyes, which usually seemed gentle, were now as cold as two blocks of ice.

"Is that the Poseidon?" Qin Yue, wearing Bluetooth earphones, asked in a low voice, her voice broken by the howling sea wind.

"Hmm, a 150,000-ton floating palace at sea." Li Haotian put his glasses back on, his gaze piercing through the rain as he locked onto the brightly lit giant ship. It was like a huge luminous pearl, radiating a dazzling light on the dark sea, and also exuding an unsettling aura of extravagance.

He glanced down at the specially made flight case at his feet. Inside the cage, Little Black was curled up quietly, only its eerie green eyes, which occasionally flashed in the darkness, indicating that this was no ordinary pet.

"Let's go. Don't let our 'wealthy businessman' status be delayed."

Li Haotian picked up his suitcase and strode towards the boarding stairs. He had changed out of his usual casual clothes and into a meticulously tailored, bespoke suit. His hair was neatly combed, and he exuded an aloof and arrogant elite aura. This was the new mask Qin Yue had prepared for him—the mask of a rising mining tycoon from Southeast Asia.

The boarding process was surprisingly smooth, but it was also filled with a certain ceremonial pressure. Two rows of uniformed waiters lined up on both sides of the gangway, bowing and greeting each other. Their smiles were so perfect that they seemed to be cut from the same mold, but deep in their eyes, there was a lifeless indifference.

As soon as he stepped onto the deck, a rich and complex aroma wafted towards him. It was the scent of top-quality cigars, expensive perfumes, and aged red wine mixed together—a distinctive olfactory signature of high society. However, Li Haotian's nostrils twitched slightly, as he keenly detected a faint yet undeniable fishy odor within this intoxicating fragrance.

That was the smell of blood. Not fresh, with a musty, rusty smell, as if it had seeped into the cracks of the ship's steel plates, emanating faintly with the sea breeze.

"The air purification system here is working very hard, but it still can't suppress the smell," Qin Yue whispered behind him, pretending to adjust her shawl. "It seems the 'cleaning' of this ship isn't very good."

"Because some stains can't be washed off, they can only be covered up," Li Haotian replied calmly, without stopping, walking straight through the hall decorated with crystal chandeliers and gold sculptures, toward the auction hall located in the center of the ship.

The guests coming and going were all wealthy and powerful. Some wore thick gold chains and had menacing faces, embracing hot models; others dressed like refined scholars, but the glint in their eyes was more terrifying than that of any greedy beast. They gathered here like a group of sharks that had smelled blood, waiting to devour a feast.

When Li Haotian entered the auction hall, the previously noisy space seemed to freeze for a moment. Countless gazes swept over him like searchlights, scrutinizing, speculating, and assessing. This was the unspoken rule here—behind every ticket lay immense wealth, or a power that commanded respect.

Li Haotian remained calm and found a corner with a good view to sit down. Xiao Hei's flight case was placed next to his feet. He casually put one foot on the case, but in reality, he was preparing to deal with any emergencies at any time.

"The auction is about to begin."

No host walked onto the stage. Suddenly, a flowing light and shadow icon appeared on the big screen. Then, an electronically synthesized voice, altered by voice changer, echoed in the empty hall. It was impossible to tell if it was male or female, or what emotions it conveyed; it only had a cold, mechanical quality.

A pale blue holographic projection beam fell from the dome and coalesced into a blurry humanoid silhouette in the center of the hall.

"Distinguished guests, welcome to the 'Poseidon.' Here, money is the only passport, and desire is the only faith."

The electronic voice paused, seemingly observing the crowd's reaction, before continuing, "Tonight, we will present you with rare and exotic treasures from around the world. They may defy conventional standards, but they will undoubtedly satisfy your deepest... desires."

As the words fell, the dim stage lights suddenly turned on, and a spotlight shone on a black display stand in the center of the stage.

The hall fell silent instantly, everyone holding their breath. This was the first item up for auction that evening, usually an appetizer used by the organizers to warm up the crowd and test their capabilities.

Two waiters wearing black masks pushed a velvet-covered cart up. On the cart was a semi-transparent, sealed container filled with some kind of pale yellow, murky liquid.

"The first item," the electronic voice suddenly rose a few decibels, carrying a seductive magic, "originating from a lost temple deep in South America—'Petrified God Skin'."

The waiter abruptly pulled back the velvet cloth.

At that moment, a collective gasp of astonishment filled the hall, interspersed with a few barely suppressed exclamations.

Floating in the pale yellow liquid was a piece of grayish-white skin. It looked withered and hard, like stone, its surface covered with dense, dark red veins that resembled blood vessels. Most chillingly, the edges of the skin seemed to have been ripped off, and instead of a clean cut, tiny, fleshy sprouts had grown from the break, slowly wriggling in the liquid, as if possessing some kind of eerie life.

"This...this is the legendary petrifying divine skin?" A bald old man in the front row suddenly stood up, staring intently at the container, his eyes practically overflowing with greed. "It's said that anyone who comes into contact with it will have their blood instantly freeze into stone, becoming the most solid sculpture!"

"But this piece of skin... is still moving?" Another female guest in an evening gown covered her mouth, her face pale, but she couldn't help but peek through her fingers, her eyes revealing a morbid infatuation.

"This is a sample slice. It has undergone special low-temperature preservation treatment. Although it has lost its activity, it still retains a weak bioelectrical response," the presenter in the holographic projection introduced in a tone as if appreciating an artwork. "Starting bid: five million US dollars."

"Five million!" A commotion erupted from the crowd.

The moment the old man raised his paddle, the atmosphere in the entire auction hall was instantly ignited. The wealthy businessmen, who had previously maintained a certain reserve, seemed to have torn off their masks of hypocrisy, their eyes becoming fanatical and naked.

Li Haotian sat in the corner, his fingers lightly tapping the edge of the flight case. His gaze didn't linger long on the strange skin, but instead swept over everyone present.

He saw excitement, he saw fear, and even more so, he saw an arrogance that treated this bizarre thing as a plaything. It was like a giant vortex, bringing together the darkest parts of human nature.

"So this is the trump card of the Divine Grace Trust..." Li Haotian sneered inwardly. That so-called "petrified divine skin," while a terrifying curse to ordinary people, was clearly, in his and Su Wan's eyes, a mutated biological tissue. The red patterns were strikingly similar to those of the "Children of God" they had seen in the underground base, only more mature and stable.

"It seems that what they're up to on the high seas is even dirtier than what we've seen on land." Qin Yue's voice came through the earpiece again, tinged with seriousness. "If this stuff gets out, the damage it causes will be no less than a plague."

"Now that it's out there, it has to be taken back," Li Haotian said in a low voice, his voice drowned out by the intense bidding around him.

By this time, the price of the "petrified divine skin" had been driven up to twenty million US dollars. The bald old man was flushed red, as if he would die instantly if he didn't win the bid.

Just as the hammer was about to fall, Li Haotian slightly raised one finger.

Thirty million.

Calm, indifferent, without even a ripple.

The voice wasn't loud, yet it clearly reached everyone's ears in the noisy hall. All the bidding stopped abruptly, and everyone turned around in surprise to look at the young man sitting languidly in the corner.

The bald old man's face turned ashen instantly. He glared at Li Haotian like a vicious dog whose food had been stolen, but when he met those cold eyes hidden behind the glasses, he felt a sudden tremor in his heart, and his hand holding the sign froze in mid-air.

The presenter in the holographic projection seemed to pause for a moment, then his electronic voice became even more cheerful: "This distinguished guest has bid thirty million! Any higher bids? Thirty million once, thirty million twice..."

"make a deal."

As the hammer fell, the still slightly wriggling "petrified divine skin" officially came under Li Haotian's ownership.

The surrounding guests began to whisper among themselves, speculating about the background of this suddenly appearing "Southeast Asian tycoon." Li Haotian, however, acted as if nothing had happened, simply adjusting his cuffs.

In their first encounter, merely through contact, he could already smell the increasingly strong stench of blood deep within the ship.

It’s just a good show.