Chapter 1486: LeavingTranslator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
When Li Du went back to make his payment, the queue opened for him. The treasure hunter made a way for him so that he could go to the front of the queue.
Bell waved. “You deserve the credit for helping the guys in our industry to teach the b.a.s.t.a.r.ds a lesson.”
The treasure hunters nodded. “Nice to see those motherf.u.c.kers crying. Serve them right.”
“How dare they look down on us?”
“Haha, I still feel like laughing when I recall their faces!”
Li Du went to the front of the line. There was no need to be low key and humble in the United States, where people appreciated high self-confidence.
He walked over and beckoned to Bill Sh.o.r.eton, got the clearance with his ID and handed it to Bill, saying, “You take care of the rest.”
Bill was stunned. Then he smiled pleasantly. “Am I officially your a.s.sistant?”
Li Du raised his finger and said, “I’ll give you a three-month trial.”
Bill nodded vigorously. “No problem at all. Leave it to me, boss!”
Leaving the paperwork to Bill, Li Du was no longer involved with the warehouse.
He needed to disappear from the warehouse auction business for a while. Although he did help the treasure hunters, the ability that he showed made them wary of him.
On the upside, it meant that treasure hunters dared not go against him anymore. However, it also meant that they formed the impression that he was a schemer.
It was a bad impression, and he had to tone it down. In addition, the fact that Turis had hurt him made him want to stay out of the business for a while.
Turis was the first treasure hunter he had ever known who had been kind to him, and when everyone looked down on him, he threw a party and invited him and Hans to it.
He still found it hard to believe that Turis betrayed them for an unknown amount of money. It was heartbreaking.
Li Du was loyal to his old friends. Otherwise, he would not have helped the Flagstaff treasure hunters all the time.
Some people, it turned out, thought about nothing but profit and loss. The rest of the Flagstaff people stayed loyal so far, but who could know how many of them would be ready to turn their backs on him if they thought they could earn more elsewhere?
This feeling frustrated him, so he didn’t even bother to see the warehouse.
He already had a rough idea of what was in the warehouse, and by the end of the auction, he would be a member of the California Million Dollar Club.
In all, he took eight warehouses. That was not many, but each was worth a fortune.
The handling of the warehouse goods was left to Bill Sh.o.r.eton, and the young man was clever and skillful enough to get Lu Guan to cooperate with him. The two of them could do it well.
Li Du and Hans went to an auction at Sotheby’s, and he was there just for the fun of it.
The auction had nothing that interested him, but he just went there to distract himself from this recent disappointment.
The auction ended in October. By then, the fighting in the Kokang region finally ceased, with the government and the guerrillas signing a ceasefire agreement to regroup and recuperate.
Thus, Li Du was ready to go to Myanmar to look for the jade mine that might still exist.
He felt compelled to check this possibility, as the s.p.a.ce-time bug’s ability was very applicable to choosing jade. He did not go before, it was too dangerous, but now he could test the waters.
He took Brother Wolf, G.o.dzilla, the Markelov brothers, and a few other chosen men. He took an elite group and flew to Mozambique first.
It had been a long time since he saw Remonin, and he took the opportunity to meet him, to thank him for his help in dealing with the Dripping Blood Gang, to pa.s.s him some money, and to take something from him.
This time he was going to take not only diamonds but also weapons, weapons that he might use in Myanmar.
The situation in Myanmar was chaotic as a whole. The jade industry was a mix of good and bad. Many of the people who worked in it were outlaws and without enough armed forces, he might lose his life and money there.
Unlike before, this time Li Du could land in Mozambique in an almost official form.
He flew by private jet to the capital’s airport and then on to Avari, one of the few larger cities in Mozambique where Remonin’s regional command was transferred.
Avari had an army camp built by the early British, and the city grew around it. Avari meant “place of blood and steel” in the local tribal language.
When the jet landed at the city’s small airport, Li Du saw at least a thousand soldiers waiting for him in a neat line.
This was an extraordinary feat. The troop was very impressive, especially when Li Du stepped out of the plane and looked at all the young men in their green uniforms, as far as the eye could see.
A red carpet was quickly rolled out and a team of military commanders saluted Li Du and escorted him down from the plane.
The Markelov brothers in the back were shocked. “d.a.m.n, the boss gets so much respect here!”
Firecracker chewed his gum and laughed. “What did you think? The boss’s connections are amazing, and his wealth is even more so. Seriously, guys, if you follow the boss faithfully, you will have a good life.”
Young Markelov adjusted his suit and rolled his eyes. “You don’t need to remind us. We’re not like that stupid Turis. Loyalty is our life! Right, brothers?”
The big men from Ukraine in the back said in unison, “You bet!”
Big Markelov turned around and said, “Straighten up your clothes, don’t talk loudly and don’t make our boss embarra.s.sed! Come on!”
Li Du got off the plane and a loud military march began to play.
Remonin put a lot of work into this welcoming ceremony. The first time they met, there were only six members in the military band. This time there were fifty to sixty of them, and they were much more professional.
Li Du was at the end of the red carpet, while Remonin was in the middle, and then they shook hands with the solemn air of two government officials. Finally, Li Du noticed that someone was taking pictures of them.
It made him laugh. “Will we be in the papers?”
“Of course. This is a visit to Avari by a Chinese American super-rich businessman who may bring in a large amount of investment,” Remonin said proudly.
Li Du said, “Investment in what?”
Remonin said with a smile, “In my army. As long as my army is well-developed, the security of the city will be better. With good security, more people would be willing to live here, and then there will be more business and more enterprises coming in.”
What he said was true. Li Du nodded and said, “You have a good perspective now. That’s true.”
Remonin raised his head proudly. “Of course, I’m a great politician!”