20,100 star coins—just 100 more than 20,000, neither more nor less.
But the effect was surprisingly good.
The once-active IDs in the virtual auction fell silent again.
They all understood the meaning behind that number—it was a clear display of determination to win at any cost.
A long silence followed.
Feng Lin waited patiently, knowing that if someone truly wanted it, they wouldn't be scared off by a single star coin.
Sure enough, someone soon raised the bid again.
"22,000 star coins!"
This person added 2,000 star coins in one go, flaunting their wealth.
"23,000!" Another person added 1,000.
After that, no one else bid.
After all, not many would pay over 20,000 star coins for a mere genetic scholar's notebook.
The once-lively virtual auction now only had three competitors left, including Feng Lin.
Clearly, his strategy had worked.
But those two IDs were stubbornly fixated on the notebook, continuously raising the bid until it quickly reached 25,000.
Feng Lin knew it was time to act. He bid again, "25,100 star coins."
He used the same trick, adding just 100 star coins.
But the other two had already seen through this and, having raised the bid themselves, weren't about to back down over 100 star coins.
"26,000 star coins!"
"27,000!"
"27,500!"
"27,800!"
...
The price climbed steadily, soon reaching 28,000 star coins.
The virtual beauty sales assistant widened her eyes in a human-like manner, sensing something was off, exceeding the system's earlier predictions.
Was a genetic scholar's notebook really worth this much?
The previous strategy didn't seem to be working!
Her data flickered again as she analyzed the situation.
Feng Lin didn't mind.
Through observation, he noticed his competitors were adding less and less with each bid, clearly approaching their limits.
If he just pushed a little more, he might force them to back off.
The bids grew smaller, the price increases slower, but it still reached 30,000 star coins.
"30,000 star coins, going once!"
"Going twice!"
One ID dropped out, no longer bidding.
Feng Lin knew it was his turn. "30,100 star coins!"
Again, exactly 100 star coins, no more, no less.
The virtual auction hall fell into stunned silence.
The other person hesitated for a long time before finally raising the bid. "30,200 star coins!"
"Only adding 100 star coins? Looks like this opponent is about to crack!"
Feng Lin smiled lightly, feeling victory within reach.
Having come this far, there was no way he was backing down now.
"30,300 star coins!"
Another 100-star-coin increase, showing his unwavering determination.
For some reason, that person, though clearly at their limit, showed remarkable tenacity.
"30,400!" They bid again, each time adding a steady 100 star coins.
Feng Lin responded by adding 100 star coins to their bid, demonstrating his resolve.
The two went back and forth, neither willing to fall behind, driving the price to an astonishing level.
The IDs in the virtual auction flickered wildly, emitting a flurry of exclamation marks.
The virtual beauty sales assistant's data nearly turned into gibberish as she failed to analyze the situation.
By now, the price had climbed to 35,000 star coins.
Feng Lin was losing patience, unwilling to wait any longer.
How many more rounds of bidding would this take?
After this long struggle, he could see that his competitor was just as determined to win.
Their bidding strategy was identical to his, clearly following the same advice from the virtual assistant.
Since that was the case, step-by-step increases were pointless—it was hard to gauge each other's limits.
Feng Lin had no desire to drag it out further. He decided to go all in.
"40,000 star coins!" He threw in his entire fortune. If this didn't win it, he'd have to accept defeat.
Fortunately, this time, his opponent fell silent for a long while and finally stopped bidding.
"40,000 star coins, going once!"
"Going twice!"
"Going three times! Sold!!!"
The three countdowns ended with a gong sound, and the genetic warrior research notebook was finally auctioned off to Feng Lin.
He breathed a sigh of relief, barely avoiding missing out.
If that person had raised the bid again, he would have had to give up.
Thankfully, the outcome was good. Despite the huge cost, Feng Lin had no regrets.
The more it cost, the more excited and expectant he became.
If a single genetic scholar's notebook was worth this much, then being a geneticist was undoubtedly a promising career—his choice was right.
"Apologies, esteemed customer! My method didn't work, causing you to spend so many star coins!" The virtual beauty sales assistant approached, apologizing like a real person.
Feng Lin shook his head. "It's not your fault."
In truth, the strategy had been effective, scaring off most of the troublemakers.
It was just Feng Lin's bad luck to run into someone equally interested in the research notebook. In that case, no strategy would help—it came down to who had deeper pockets.
Fortunately, Feng Lin had the last laugh.
The process was thrilling, but the result was satisfying.
He had succeeded, and his 100,000 star coins were all spent.
This was the first time Feng Lin had splurged so freely, and it felt fresh and exhilarating.
He didn't leave any star coins for his parents. First, because it would be hard to explain such a large sum to his family, only causing them worry.
Second, suddenly having a lot of money in his account might invite questions from the family, which he wanted to avoid.
Feng Lin didn't want to stir up trouble. He felt weighed down by countless constraints, unable to be free. Only when he grew stronger in the future could he break free one by one.
"Esteemed customer, welcome back anytime!" With the virtual beauty sales assistant's voice, Feng Lin left the Golden Tower and headed home.