Chapter 1133: It’s Not Me
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
When the bidding hit forty thousand, Princeps called out, “Forty-one thousand dollars!”
Hearing that, Li Du shook his head and stopped bidding.
The treasure hunters from Phoenix did not want to give up and asked, “Will you hand it
over to that Tucson b.a.s.t.a.r.d?”
“Let him take it,” Li Du said.
“What did you see?” someone asked.
At that point, there was nothing to hide anymore. Li Du took out a high-definition, large
image of warehouse number 21 and showed it to the treasure hunters. He pointed to a
few spots on the image and said, “Look here, here, and here. See something?”
“Nope,” The treasure hunters replied honestly.
“This is a reflective mirror. This is part of a wheel. This is the bottom half of the
nameplate. The above spells ‘HAR’ and the bottom spells ‘IDSON’. If I did not guess
wrong, the letters on the nameplate should spell out, ‘HARLEY-DAVIDSON’. The top
and bottom words are ‘MOTOR’ and ‘CYCLES’.”
Someone shouted instantly, “It’s a Harley-Davidson motorcycle!”
Li Du nodded. “That’s right. In addition, look at the reflective mirror and wheels. It should
be an old model from the 80s or 90s. It can be worth fifty thousand dollars.”
The treasure hunters spread that conjecture quickly. During the time meant for
observing warehouse number twenty-two, someone urged Princeps to open up his
warehouse for a look.
Princeps opened the warehouse and then a surprised shout rang out. In the midst of a
bunch of wooden shelves, boxes and cloth, a Western-looking, ancient, but well-
preserved Harley motorbike appeared before their eyes.
Seeing that, the treasure hunters felt admiration for Li Du. He was a real expert.
A handful of people were curious. “Now that I’m looking at the motorcycle, indeed, I can
see the reflective mirror and wheels from the picture, but I can’t really see the letters
clearly.”
“Li must have seen that when he was observing the warehouse. I have had lunch with
him before. That dude is really sharp and has exceptional eyesight!”
News of Li Du’s reputation and the accurate conjecture he just made rang out. Many of
the treasure hunters from other states could not help but grudgingly admit that Li Du
was good.
Black Wild Horse smiled at Jesus and said, “Hey, Bell, seems like our Arizona produced
someone worthy.”
“I’ve told you guys, this one was born to dominate the warehouse auction profession,”
Jesus Bell praised. “After interacting with him, you guys would think the same. You
would also admit defeat.”
Among the crowd at the back, Conrad looked at Li Du, his face full of hatred and
jealousy. George’s relaxed looked dissolved and he started to look serious again. Softly,
he said, “That Chinese dude, he’s not easy to deal with!”
“George, we should become friends with him,” a treasure hunter beside him said.
George shook his head firmly. “I will definitely get back at him once. I will let this sissy
regret bulling my son. I must let everyone know that they cannot trifle with the
Anthonys.”
Hearing his words, a treasure hunter nearby smiled politely and then left his side in
silence.
Princeps locked up the warehouse, celebrating in his heart.
That Harley-Davidson motorcycle was a cla.s.sic model. It was very popular in the
collectors’ circles. At the very least, it could fetch fifty to sixty thousand dollars. While he
would not make a huge margin, he would still earn some money.
Hence, this warehouse sparked off Princeps’ strategy to follow Li Du’s bids. However,
he warned himself to be wary of Li Du’s cunning. He reminded himself to consider
carefully before following a bid and only strike when he was very confident.
Many treasure hunters had the same thoughts as Princeps. For the next few
warehouses, whichever Li Du bid on, other people would follow.
Princeps followed the bids a couple of times as well. However, he was very careful and
as long as the amount exceeded forty or fifty thousand, he would retreat.
Some of the newly-recruited Tucson treasure hunters were dissatisfied. They asked,
“Big boss, we should be more courageous. Why are you always stepping out of the
auction at the most crucial moments?”
Having made a win in that auction, Princeps regained his confidence and became
arrogant again.
He retorted, “What do you know? Fighting this Chinese dude, you gotta be careful. You
guys do not understand him, but I know him very well. He is very cunning, extremely
sly!”
In fact, having s.n.a.t.c.hed a warehouse from Li Du’s hands, Princeps was already very
satisfied. He was only trying to disrupt Li Du by following his bids for the next few
warehouses.
He was uncertain if those warehouses were of value or if Li Du was just trying to raise
the bid to make someone spend their money. According to his understanding of Li Du, it
was more likely the latter.
Someone had s.n.a.t.c.hed a warehouse from Li Du. Upon opening it, they had found
nothing worthwhile inside.
Princeps looked on coolly from aside. Seeing this confirmed his beliefs.
More than twenty warehouses were auctioned off that one morning. The auctioning
proceeded very fast. Typically, with so many people, it would already be a feat to have
auctioned off seven to eight warehouses.
As there were many warehouses, the timing was tight. Hence, there was only half an
hour for lunch and rest time. At twelve-thirty, the auction was to resume.
People get tired of such pipeline-like auctions easily and it was easy for treasure
hunters to fall into the habit of bidding for the sake of bidding. Hence, from noon
onward, the auction would turn more chaotic.
Ten consecutive warehouses were auctioned off and there was still no action from Li
Du’s side. However, the Phoenix and Flagstaff treasure hunter group that he was
leading had made a number of good wins.
At the thirty-first warehouse, Li Du bid after a quick look. However, when the bid went
up to eight thousand dollars, he retreated.
When number 32was opened up, a streamlined car front suddenly appeared in front of
the crowd.
Li Du shone the torchlight to have a look and his eyes lit up.
The treasure hunters perked up and started to discuss this excitedly.
“This is a sports car!”
“Lamborghini, definitely a Lamborghini!”
“Look at the paint, quick, look at the paint, looks well-preserved, almost brand new!”
“This is Lamborghini Evanta, a new one is worth five hundred thousand dollars!”
The appearance of that warehouse was like a caffeine shot for all the treasure hunters.
The bidding was rife again. In particular, Li Du also partic.i.p.ated in the bidding, which
gave people even more confidence to bid.
“Ten thousand dollars!”
“Fifteen thousand dollars!”
“Fifty thousand dollars!” Li Du raised the bid dramatically.
“F*ck, I’m throwing it all out, sixty thousand dollars!”
“One hundred thousand!” Li Du raised the bid by a large margin again.
“One hundred and ten thousand dollars!” Princeps struck. He observed Li Du carefully
and then considered what he was looking at. He felt that the warehouse was definitely a
good one!
Li Du glanced at him and said, “Two hundred thousand dollars!”
Princeps continued, “Two hundred and ten thousand dollars!”
“Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars!”
“Two hundred and sixty thousand dollars!” Princeps did not give up.
Li Du raised his voice and hollered, “Three hundred thousand dollars!”
That bid was already very high. A brand new Lamborghini Evanta was at most five
hundred thousand US dollars. A second-hand one would probably be worth somewhat
less than a new one.
Besides, they had yet to learn about the exact condition of the car. The car rear that
was exposed looked pristine. However, the car body might be damaged.
Princeps hesitated for a moment and then shouted again, “Three hundred and ten
thousand!”
If Li Du raised the bid to three hundred and fifty thousand of four hundred thousand, he
would not follow. The risk was high and if it went on, he would lose.
Li Du called out another bid, “Three hundred and fifty thousand!”
Princeps decided to back out. He was just about to retreat but realized that there was
no room for him to do that. Someone was blocking his way from behind. Then, his arm
was pushed up by someone and a voice that was familiar to him rang out, “Four
hundred thousand!”
He was shocked and called out weakly, “No, it’s not me…”