The Dupont family initially made its fortune from products related to gunpowder, chemicals, and military weapons. After several centuries of development, the Dupont family now owns numerous research institutions and the most advanced laboratories worldwide. Thus, they are determined to acquire the black meteorite, which holds immense research value.

On the other hand, although the Rothschild family originated in Europe, many of its industries have shifted to the United States since World War II. Consequently, the family’s influence in America is considerable, as they are one of the shareholders of the Federal Reserve, controlling many of America’s economic lifelines.

The Rothschild family is involved in a wide range of industries, so their research institutions are numerous. Money is not an issue for them, and they will not easily give up on an extraterrestrial object with significant research value.

Sitting in an ordinary seat below, Wu Hao already knew the details of the two competing financial giants through his intelligent brain. However, he wasn’t concerned that these two families would fight to the end.

Although both families are wealthy and aware of the black meteorite’s potential impact on their future development, they know each other’s backgrounds. Therefore, if the price becomes excessively high, there is a strong possibility they will reach a cooperative agreement to research the black meteorite together.

As Wu Hao had speculated, although the two families are still bidding, the bids are increasing slowly by $50 million increments. Behind the scenes, the leaders of the two families have already started contacting each other.

“Boss, the Dupont and Rothschild families are already negotiating the ownership of the black meteorite. It seems that although both financial giants want it, raising the price too high doesn’t serve their interests. We can make a move now. However, afterward, these two families will definitely not let you leave the U.S. peacefully,” the intelligent brain’s voice conveyed through the earpiece to Wu Hao.

“In that case, let’s start bidding! As long as the black meteorite is in my hands, leaving the U.S. will be a minor issue. By the way, Zero, my real identity won’t be discovered, right?” Wu Hao whispered to the intelligent brain Zero.

Wu Hao’s identity at this auction was modified by the intelligent brain through hacking into the organizer’s invitation list. To avoid exposure of his real appearance, Wu Hao had even gone through a simple disguise, sporting a large beard and adopting the look of a middle-aged Oriental man.

“Boss, rest assured. Your identity was modified by me through the organizer’s internal network. Even if they investigate your identity later, they will only find the altered information. Your true identity will not be discovered. Furthermore, if any anomalies arise, I will use real-time monitoring to erase any discovered information,” Zero assured Wu Hao with confidence.

“Great! With that, I have no further concerns.” Wu Hao nodded and then entered a bid of $5 billion through the auction bidding device at his seat.

The host on stage was clearly stunned by the bright red $5 billion bid and the bidder’s number. He had already been informed via the backend that the black meteorite was being contested by the Dupont and Rothschild families. He even knew that the two families were negotiating privately. Thus, he had been instructed by the organizer to delay the auction as much as possible until the two families reached a decision before finalizing the auction.

Now, seeing that a bidder from an ordinary seat had offered $5 billion, the host was momentarily taken aback. He knew that this was another wealthy participant, as the occupant of seat 66 had previously bid $2 billion for another item, drawing considerable attention.

“$5 billion, with seat 66 offering $5 billion. Is there a higher bid than $5 billion?” After a moment of hesitation, the host quickly regained his composure and called out loudly. He did not start a countdown or anything like that. Normally, he would have closed the auction immediately, but since he had been instructed to delay, he had no intention of doing so even with Wu Hao’s sudden bid of $5 billion.

In the two private boxes above, representatives of the Dupont and Rothschild families were puzzled but quickly realized the situation. Within moments, the Dupont family’s box offered a new bid of $5.05 billion.

The two families’ representatives, who were negotiating privately, were also perplexed by the appearance of a third party in the bidding.

“Will, it seems that we are not the only ones interested in this meteorite. Since the other party has started bidding at this point, they must also be determined to obtain it,” Med Rothschild said, surprised, to Will Dupont.

Both were direct family members of their respective families. Although not heirs, they were core members involved in high-tech research and development. They often exchanged ideas privately.

Initially, they had been discussing the allocation of the black meteorite, and they were close to reaching a consensus on cooperation and profit-sharing. However, the sudden appearance of Wu Hao as an unexpected factor had disrupted their plans.

Will did not rush to respond to Med’s comment. Instead, he asked his subordinate, “Which family does the person in seat 66 come from?”

His subordinate quickly checked the auction organizer’s registration information and reported, “Boss, the bidder in seat 66 is James Li, an American-Chinese businessman. He does not belong to any family. According to the information, he seems to have acquired substantial wealth through stock investments and earned an invitation to this auction.”

The information provided by Will’s subordinate was, of course, fabricated by the intelligent brain Zero. It would not be easy for them to investigate Wu Hao’s true identity based on this data alone.