Tycoon Actor C503

After the lighthearted and humorous items, the auction shifted to serious art pieces—paintings and sculptures from renowned artists. One painting alone fetched $180,000, signaling a completely different level of bidding.

The stakes escalated quickly. A rare Lucas Knight photograph from his early career sold for $130,000, while a commissioned painting of Lucas and Jennifer together commanded an impressive $400,000.

The internet celebrities could only watch in amazement. Hundreds of thousands of dollars were being thrown around casually, leaving them astonished. While many YouTubers and streamers were wealthy—some like the Paul brothers owned mansions and had millions—they couldn't casually drop hundreds of thousands like these seasoned producers, A-list celebrities, and business moguls.

These weren't just any paintings. They were works by famous historical artists, priceless in the eyes of collectors. Contemporary pieces had been donated specifically for the gala by prestigious museums and private collectors.

A South African billionaire named Patrice stunned the room by purchasing a $2 million artwork, making eyes go wide across the venue. It was the highest single bid of the night so far.

But that shock was nothing compared to what came next—another billionaire acquired a Picasso piece for a staggering $7 million.

Just like that, the accumulated total jumped from $7 million to $31 million.

The billionaires who had gone largely unnoticed earlier, overshadowed by the celebrity glamour, were now commanding attention. They weren't household names like Mark Zuckerberg, but they were undeniably wealthy individuals who had willingly attended Lucas's inaugural gala.

Live chat on various Twitch streams was exploding:

"Holy shit, they're throwing millions around like pocket change."

"Who's that billionaire? Looks Russian."

"That one's definitely South African. Just dropped 2 mil like it's nothing."

Billionaires from around the world were present—some in person, others represented by agents who bid via phone, raising their hands while speaking quietly into their devices.

When the artwork portion finally concluded, the gala had accumulated a staggering $41 million.

The amount was extraordinary, achieved in just a few hours.

And the auction wasn't even finished yet.

"Wow," Leonardo said honestly to Lucas and the others at their table. "If this momentum continues, you'll surpass my 2016 gala."

Tobey nodded in agreement. "Definitely possible."

Taylor looked at Leonardo curiously. "How much did you raise in 2016?"

"About $45 million," Leonardo answered.

Taylor and Jennifer exchanged impressed glances. That amount was already incredible and could help countless people in need. Yet here was Lucas's first auction gala, potentially surpassing that benchmark, which was even more remarkable.

The next auction item was a private Taylor Swift concert, and bidding erupted immediately with billionaires offering $2 million and higher.

It was an exclusive private performance, after all. A tech billionaire ultimately secured Taylor's concert for his daughter's birthday at $4 million.

Just like that, the auction total reached $45 million—already matching Leonardo's record.

Kobe followed by auctioning his signed jersey and basketball, which sold together for $350,000.

Then came one of the evening's most coveted experiences: a private dinner with Lucas on a yacht.

The Twitch live stream chat exploded:

"OMG, a private dinner on a yacht? With Lucas Knight?!"

"I would literally sell everything I own for that!"

Viewers started donating thousands to their favorite streamers, encouraging them to bid on their behalf.

But when the bidding began, they were shocked to see offers quickly reach $500,000. Ultra-wealthy attendees desperately wanted exclusive time with Lucas.

The highest offer climbed to $850,000, then kept going.

Internet celebrities who had tried to bid $10,000 or even $100,000 felt increasingly embarrassed. They'd thought they could afford dinner with Lucas, but reality was hitting hard.

The Paul brothers attempted bids of $100,000 and $200,000, only to be immediately outbid.

The winner was a philanthropist businessman who secured Lucas's company for $1.4 million.

But Lucas wasn't done. He auctioned another experience: a space flight together. Starting bid: $10,000.

A bidding war ensued, with the winner paying a staggering $3.1 million.

"People here are actually insane," Jimmy whispered to Chris, genuinely astonished. "Millions of dollars just to hang out with Lucas Knight? That's like... more money than I've ever seen in my entire life."

"Yeah, this makes your $20,000 giveaways look like pocket change," Chris replied, equally stunned.

The Paul brothers watched quietly, realizing they couldn't even compete. If dinner with Lucas cost $1.4 million, a space flight was completely out of their league.

For the first time, internet celebrities who thought they were on top of the world felt genuinely humbled. This was their introduction to the upper echelons of wealth, and it was eye-opening.

Other celebrities continued offering experiences—private concerts, exclusive dinners, movie set visits—and the fundraising momentum never slowed.

By evening's end, the inaugural Lucas Knight Gala had raised an extraordinary $71 million.

Lucas returned to the stage, microphone in hand, genuine gratitude radiating from his expression. "I'm truly overwhelmed by everyone's generosity tonight. The $71 million raised will help countless people around the world, and you have my word—every dollar will go directly to those who need it most. This is what happens when we use our platforms for good. Thank you all."

The attendees applauded enthusiastically. They trusted Lucas to deliver on his words. After all, the LK Foundation had built an impeccable reputation, and they'd all seen the tangible results—including medical hospitals named after Lucas.

The most famous was in New York—the LK Hospital that opened in 2016. It provided excellent service while offering assistance to people who couldn't afford their medical bills.

That hospital had already helped thousands. People whose insurance companies had denied them, families facing bankruptcy from medical debt—countless testimonials flooded online from grateful patients. Lucas never boasted about it, but those he'd helped certainly did.

Lucas continued his speech: "This money will provide tremendous help to people in immediate need." Then his tone shifted, becoming more serious. "But it could also help us prepare for future challenges that humanity has yet to face."

Everyone except a few looked puzzled. Future challenges?

"What's he talking about?" Tobey whispered to Leonardo.

Leonardo, who knew about Lucas's concerns, simply said, "Just listen. This part is very important."

Tobey and Taylor exchanged confused glances. Taylor turned to Jennifer, who remained quietly composed, clearly keeping a secret. They just listened.

"Many of you may be unaware, but significant global health challenges could be approaching," Lucas said carefully. "There are emerging viral threats—particularly respiratory viruses—that health experts are monitoring in various parts of the world. While we hope for the best, we must prepare for the possibility of widespread health emergencies that could affect millions globally. Tonight's funds will continue supporting our current causes—medical assistance, poverty relief, environmental protection—but I want everyone to be aware that some future challenges may require all of us to be prepared and vigilant about global health."

The crowd didn't know what to make of this ominous warning. A global pandemic seemed almost unthinkable. But Lucas didn't elaborate further, simply concluding his speech after making people aware.

Attendees and online viewers were left curious and concerned. Many immediately began searching for information about emerging viruses.

YouTubers huddled around phones, searching frantically. "Holy shit, there really are new virus outbreaks being monitored in parts of Asia," one muttered.

"Yeah, but I don't think it'll become a pandemic, right?" another responded uncertainly.

"I don't know, but Lucas seems to know something we don't."

---

Later, when the auction concluded, media outlets quickly reported on the gala's unprecedented success.

"Lucas Knight's Inaugural Charity Gala Raises Record-Breaking $71 Million, Surpassing DiCaprio's Previous Record!"

"Hollywood and Internet Stars Unite for Historic $71M Fundraiser"

"Lucas Knight Gala Sets New Standard for Celebrity Charity Events"

Netizens celebrated the results:

"Billionaires need to take notes from Lucas. The guy's an actor but he's helping more people than most governments."

"$71 million in one night? That's genuinely life-changing money for so many people."

"I love that he invited YouTubers too. Finally someone bridging the gap between old and new media for good causes."

However, criticism emerged regarding Lucas's pandemic warning. Several media outlets took aim at his comments:

"Lucas Knight Spreads Unfounded Pandemic Fear at Charity Gala"

"Experts Question Knight's Alarmist Health Claims During Otherwise Successful Fundraiser"

Critics argued that Lucas was spreading unnecessary panic about unproven threats, with some medical professionals questioning why an actor was making public health predictions without scientific credentials.

The charity gala could have been perfect if Lucas hadn't issued that warning about global health threats.

"Is this for real? An actor making predictions about global health? Give me a break!" someone tweeted, criticizing Knight. "Why bring this up out of nowhere? What's your agenda here? Are you planning to pocket some of that charity money for your fear-mongering pandemic nonsense?"

Other critics piled on with similar sentiments:

"Lucas Knight needs to stick to acting and leave medical predictions to actual doctors."

"This is exactly what's wrong with celebrity culture. They think fame makes them experts on everything."

"Using a charity event to spread conspiracy theories? That's a new low even for Hollywood."

"Maybe he's been watching too many disaster movies and thinks he's living in one."

The backlash created a PR headache for Lucas's team. His manager Neil called him frantically about the "global health" comments, but Lucas remained frustratingly vague about his reasoning.

The media also dismissed Lucas's warning entirely, failing to understand why he'd brought up such an obscure concern at a charity gala.

But just a few days after the auction, everything changed. The World Health Organization released a statement that vindicated Lucas's concerns:

“WHO can confirm that the coronavirus outbreak originating in Wuhan has spread to around 20 countries, with confirmed cases now present on several continents. Some governments have reached out to WHO for technical support as they work to contain the spread within their populations. In light of the international transmission and ongoing health risks, we are declaring this a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.”

The statement shocked everyone, especially Lucas's critics who had dismissed his warnings.

Media coverage exploded with urgent headlines:

"WHO Declares Global Health Emergency: Coronavirus Spreads to 20 Countries"

"Coronavirus Deaths Confirmed in Asia as WHO Sounds Alarm"

"Did Lucas Knight Predict Global Pandemic Days Before WHO Emergency Declaration?"

Netizens' attitudes shifted dramatically:

"Holy shit, Lucas Knight actually called this. How did he know?"

"I owe that man an apology. He tried to warn us and we laughed at him."

"This is terrifying. People are already dying in 20 countries and Lucas saw this coming."

"Remember when everyone called him crazy just five days ago? Yeah, about that..."

The rapid turn of events left Lucas's critics scrambling to explain how he'd seemingly predicted a global health crisis before major health organizations had publicly acknowledged its severity.

But what most people were unaware of was that WHO had actually issued reports about the virus months earlier when the Chinese government first contacted them. WHO had released statements, but no one really took them seriously until now, when the virus finally spread to other countries across different continents and became impossible to ignore.

A doctor on Twitter helped clarify the timeline:

"People calling Lucas Knight 'psychic' need to understand - China reported this virus to WHO 2-3 months ago. They actually did remarkably well containing it for months before it finally broke out elsewhere. The information was publicly available, but most people don't follow WHO bulletins or global health news. It flew under everyone's radar until now. Lucas was just paying attention to what health experts were already warning about. We called him crazy for bringing awareness to something that was already documented. Maybe we should listen more carefully next time."

Indeed, a simple search revealed the virus had been documented for months. Lucas had simply been warning people about an existing threat that most had ignored.

Meanwhile, Lucas was aboard a luxury yacht with a billionaire philanthropist who was also a Middle Eastern prince. The WHO statement had just broken on the news.

Lucas was actually impressed by this world's response. In his previous life, by this point with the virus existing for months, it should have already spread significantly across the globe. But here, it had only just begun spreading to other countries.