A faint, disdainful smile played across Zhou Yu's lips.  

"Heh, I'm Zhou Yu, the one and only Young Master Zhou. Is there anything I can't get my hands on?"  

Niu Yao? That trash? Not even worth mentioning.  

Zhou Yu almost laughed out loud.  

He loved this feeling of towering above everyone else—he was the supreme ruler, looking down on the world below!  

But just then!  

The voice of the virtual auctioneer cut through the air.  

[Bidder #8 bids 400 essential resource units.]  

It was Chen Du, making his move at the last possible moment.  

"What?"  

Zhou Yu froze.  

He hadn't expected anyone to swoop in at the final second.  

And not just that—they had bid an additional fifty units without hesitation.  

At this point, every survivor clung tightly to their supplies; these were the bare necessities they needed to survive!  

Not only Zhou Yu but the entire public chat erupted into chaos.  

"Who is this Bidder #8? Four hundred units of supplies? Are they insane?!"  

"Holy crap, that's insane! Four hundred units? That'd keep me alive for months!"  

"This must be some hidden tycoon. Who is this person? I want to be his woman!"  

"Pfft, you little flirt, who do you think you are? Dream on if you think you're good enough for him! I'm the one he should choose! Bidder #8, if you're listening, DM me—I'm gorgeous!"  

"Get lost, you shameless thing! Bidder #8, look at me! I used to be an influencer with half a million followers! I'll make an amazing lover—I know all the tricks!"  

"Yeah, half a million fake followers, maybe!"  

Zhou Yu clenched his fists so hard his knuckles turned white. His eyes widened as he stared at the chaotic chatter flooding the screen, his face twisting into a snarl.  

"Damn it, who the hell is this guy? How dare he take what I, Zhou Yu, have set my sights on! Is he out of his mind? Fine, fine! Let's see how much you've got left!"  

With a growl, Zhou Yu shouted, "Raise the bid—450 units!"  

He refused to believe this mysterious Bidder #8 could match him.  

His move sent the public chat into another frenzy.  

"Oh my god! Young Master Zhou just raised the bid by another fifty units! This is insane! The owner of that blueprint must be over the moon!"  

[Bidder #5 raises the bid to 450 essential resource units.]  

Chen Du glanced at the new bid, completely unfazed.  

He didn't have much else—but bottled water? He had plenty of that.  

While others agonized over parting with even a single unit of supplies, Chen Du couldn't care less.  

To challenge him was like failing to recognize Mount Tai when standing right in front of it—a complete lack of awareness.  

"Raise the bid," Chen Du said coolly. "500 units."  

[Bidder #8 raises the bid to 500 essential resource units.]  

Everyone's eyes widened as they stared at the numbers flashing on the screen. Their breathing grew heavier.  

Though it was just a simple three-digit figure, the amount of food it represented was enough to drive anyone mad.  

"What? He's still raising the bid? Who the hell is this guy? How have I never heard of such a person around here?"  

"Unbelievable! Does he own a factory or something? Is he some big-shot manager?"  

"This is insane. I bet he started off in a food plant or a water bottling facility!"  

"That's impossible! Almost nothing in this world works anymore. Supplies only come from crates—and the higher-level the crate, the more zombies guarding it! Everyone knows that! The more supplies you have, the harder they are to obtain!"  

Zhou Yu's eyes were wide with disbelief as he stared at the screen.  

How… how was this even possible?  

Five hundred units—and he threw them out like it was nothing.  

Who the hell was this guy?  

"Damn it," Zhou Yu muttered through gritted teeth. "No matter who you are, no one takes what belongs to me! What I set my sights on is mine alone!"  

"Raise the bid!" he roared. "550 units!"  

A man in black standing beside him immediately panicked.  

"Young Master Zhou, we don't have enough supplies left! If we keep raising the bid, we won't even have enough for basic survival!"  

"That's right, Young Master Zhou," another pleaded. "We can't keep going! Otherwise, we'll have to fight those horrifying zombies for supplies—and trust me, it's not worth it! Who knows how long it'll take to gather everything we need for that golden blueprint!"  

"Young Master Zhou, please reconsider! It's fine if we go hungry, but you—you're our leader! You can't afford to starve! If we can't find enough supplies, we're all done for!"  

Zhou Yu roared, "Get out of my way! I refuse to believe he has that many supplies!"  

"No one," he bellowed, "takes what belongs to ME!"  

[Bidder #5 raises the bid to 550 essential resource units.]  

Chen Du frowned slightly.  

This Zhou Yu—he had quite the stash, huh? To bid so high meant he wasn't someone to underestimate.  

Still…  

That was about it.  

Without hesitation, Chen Du raised the bid again.  

[Bidder #8 raises the bid to 600 essential resource units.]  

"What?! Six hundred units?! This is unreal!"  

The entire chat fell silent.  

Everyone was stunned.  

It was barely the beginning, and yet someone had already amassed such an incredible amount of supplies.  

Who on earth was this person?  

And he had increased the bid without a moment's hesitation.  

Even Young Master Zhou had hesitated before raising his bid.  

But this Bidder #8 matched Zhou's moves instantly, completely ignoring the minimum increment rule of ten units.  

It was as if, in his eyes, these supplies were mere pocket change.  

Zhou Yu's eyes burned with fury, filled with unwillingness.  

He didn't want to give up.  

But when he tried to raise the bid again, a notification flashed: Insufficient Supplies.  

Zhou Yu glared at the screen, his jaw clenched.  

"I'll find out who you are…"  

This time, Zhou Yu didn't follow Chen Du's bid.  

He simply didn't have enough supplies left.  

The virtual auctioneer announced, "Bidder #8 has bid 600 essential resource units. Are there any other buyers who wish to raise the bid?"  

After a pause, the auctioneer continued, "If no further bids are placed, I will now begin the countdown."  

[First call: 600 essential resource units.]  

[Second call: 600 essential resource units.]  

[Final call: 600 essential resource units.]  

BANG!  

With the fall of the gavel, the deal was sealed.  

Chen Du became the proud owner of the Gold-tier blueprint: Fortress Wall.