Chapter 1212: Popular Auction
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
An auction of such scale was capable of attracting all the treasure hunters in the country. There were many warehouses up for auction and a large number of treasure hunters attending. It seemed that treasure hunters had come from all over the country.
As the crowd was ma.s.sive, the chaos at the scene was inevitable. Many treasure hunters rubbed shoulders and it was easy for a conflict to flare up.
To protect themselves and to have a stronger backing, the treasure hunters would quickly form their own circles. The most common way for these circles to take shape was by state.
As a result, the people from the Eagle Beak Gang stood out. That was partly because they did not join any other circles and were just a few of them.
However, that was not the thing that made them stand out the most. Though they did not have large numbers, they showed no fear and were very c.o.c.ky.
Of course, that was understandable. After all, they treated that place as their own territory.
Upon seeing Li Du, Eagle Beak Blade George walked over to speak to him. “Hi, Mr. Li. How have you been these past two days?”
“Not bad, thanks for asking,” Li Du replied casually.
Eagle Beak Blade smiled. “That’s good. It’s a bit messy around here. Hope that you guys can protect yourselves. On another note, you do know what’s inside warehouse number 103, right? Remember, it is ours.”
Li Du pretended to be confused, “Ah? What’s in number 103? How would we know?”
Hearing that, Eagle Beak Blade laughed loudly. “Haha, Mr. Li. You’re very funny. You guys have bribed the manager of the warehouse and went in for a look. Do you think that I am uninformed?”
Hearing that, Li Du’s face tightened. He said, “Don’t spout nonsense. I would not break the rules to enter the warehouse beforehand…”
“You know best whether you would or wouldn’t,” Eagle Beak Blade patted Li Du’s shoulder. “You have a good memory, I’m sure. Buddy, don’t push it. Otherwise, I will send some photos and videos to the Warehouse Treasure Hunting a.s.sociation. That would not look good.”
According to the rules of the a.s.sociation, if a treasure hunter reached out to a warehouse manager to enter a warehouse prior to the auction, their right to partic.i.p.ate in auctions would be revoked for a year.
Li Du looked at him and then smiled. “Are you threatening me?”
Eagle Beak Blade laughed. “How could I? We are law-abiding taxpayers. Threatening others is illegal. We never do that.”
Saying that, he narrowed his eyes at Li Du and continued, “You know what I mean. We must get that warehouse.”
Crossing his arms, he motioned for his subordinates to leave. Some treasure hunters were in his way, but he shoved them aside.
A voice rang out behind Li Du. “Ha, this guy is really menacing, huh?”
Without turning around, Li Du knew whom that voice belonged to. It was George Anthony.
Seeing that Li Du was silent, George Anthony continued, “Seems like someone’s got something on you? Then you are really in trouble now.”
Li Du retorted, “Are you talking about those so-called photos and videos?”
George Anthony grinned. “That’s right. However, those idiots don’t understand our trade, do they? Don’t worry, even if they submit those photos and videos, you can still appeal. Unless someone’s caught you red-handed in the warehouse, the a.s.sociation would not care about such things.”
Hans nodded. “Yes, as long as n.o.body got their handle on you in the warehouse, everything would be fine.”
Li Du looked at George Anthony and said, “Thanks for the reminder.”
George Anthony smiled and said, “Don’t stand on ceremony. We might have had some conflicts in the past, and I might have made trouble for you. But all the more we should be friends now, right?”
Li Du extended his hand and replied good-naturedly, “Yes, we have a saying in Chinese. It can be translated as, ‘More friends, more ways’. We should be friends.”
The two of them exchanged a handshake and George Anthony smiled cheerfully. He said, “But I have to tell you, I will definitely be a strong contender at this auction. For example, if we’re talking about warehouse number 103, I also know what’s inside. I will not let it go that easily.”
Li Du said, “Then let’s join the bidding war.”
After breaking off the handshake, George Anthony left them and walked towards the spot where the New York treasure hunters were gathered.
At eight-thirty, the entrance to the warehouse opened and the treasure hunters rushed in like floodwater. They were all ready to partic.i.p.ate in the first auction of the year.
The treasure hunters from Arizona had all seemed to center around Li Du. After the latter had joined the Million Dollar Club, the local treasure hunters had crowned him as the Treasure Hunt King.
As there were so many warehouses up for auction and so many treasure hunters contending for them, five warehouses were opened in one shot.
The treasure hunters had formed a long queue that was moving forward along the warehouses. There was seemingly no time to stop moving, and after a few short glances, they had to move on for the next treasure hunter to view the warehouse.
Every five warehouses were auctioned at the same time. The auctioneer started the announce all at once, and the interested treasure hunters would shout out the number of the warehouse and the price they were bidding.
The speed of the auction was fast and hence, everyone was on their toes, alert.
After the viewing, Li Du returned to the crowd. He would give his brief opinion of the warehouse and the rest of the treasure hunters would debate how much they might bid.
Indeed, when the auction started, the speed was insane:
“The starting bid is five hundred dollars, it’s all five hundred dollars, all five hundred! Every new bid will have to be at least one hundred dollars higher. Whoever is interested in the warehouse, move up front to let us see you clearly.”
Macy’s had engaged many auctioneers. Indeed, every five warehouses were auctioned at the same time. However, every auctioneer was responsible for one warehouse and only had to pay attention to the bids for that specific one.
“Warehouse 1, five hundred dollars, I’ll take it!”
“Warehouse 5, one thousand dollars!”
“Warehouse 4, six hundred dollars!”
“Warehouse 2, five hundred dollars!”
Everyone called out their bids quickly and the auctioneers focused on listening. The scene was somewhat chaotic and the atmosphere was fiery.
Macy’s was a huge departmental store that sold new items. Hence, even if the warehouse were filled with useless items, they would still likely be some valuable stuff. It was just a matter of whether there were more or less of those and if they might need fixing.
As long as the bid was right, every warehouse was profitable. The treasure hunters were all clear on that. Hence, they were enthusiastic in bidding and hoped that they would be able to take down the warehouse at the sum they had planned.
Under such circ.u.mstances, the right bid price was of utmost importance. They had to be sure that the warehouse they took down at that price would be profitable.
Hence, the a.n.a.lysis that Li Du was providing to his group’s treasure hunters was even more vital. They were determining their bids on his opinion.
If they were able to take down the warehouse at their bid, they would be able to make money. If it were more than that price, they would not bother.
In one go, more than twenty warehouses were put up for auction. All of them were bid on and not one was left behind.
Following that, another twenty warehouses were put up for auction as well. Again, all of them were successfully auctioned off in a very short time.
It was the first time that Li Du encountered such a situation. From the speed and eagerness of the bidding, it was clear that the treasure hunters held the bankrupt department store in high regard.
For the next forty warehouses, Li Du did not make a bid. After that, he stepped into the bidding fray again.
The compet.i.tion was stiff and in such a hectic atmosphere, the auction became crazy. Li Du raised his bid to twenty thousand dollars, and there were still people who bid higher. Li Du could only shake his head and quit that particular bid war.