Chapter 278: Deputy Battalion Commander, Fire Your Cannon!
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
It was another blazing hot day. Since morning, the hot temperature had taken reign over Arizona. When the treasure hunters reached the units, they were already drenched in sweat.
Hans was frantically guzzling down a bottle of ice water; his head full of sweat revealing how miserable he felt due to the heat.
Li Du was calmly controlling his breath, his gaze was spirited and clear. He was not sweating much.
The Playboy walked over and said in envy, "Li, you know how to use Qigong? Look at you—seems like even this weather can’t do much to you."
Li Du shook his head with a slight smile. Hans spoke as if he knew the secret to Li Du’s strength: "‘One will feel cool when the heart is at ease,’ brother, that’s how the saying goes. Li Du’s state of mind is always at ease."
"If you know about this, then why are you still sweating so much?" The Playboy questioned.
"D*mn it, I can’t calm down," Hans sighed.
"Actually, my state of mind has nothing to do with Qigong. The reason why I’m not sweating, is because I’m Chinese, and you guys are white. Your sweat glands are more active."
"Bullsh*t, you racist!" The Playboy immediately spat.
The other treasure hunters gradually arrived. The area started getting rowdy, and soon, the number of them exploded.
Hans removed his shades and observed their surroundings. "Seems like quite a lot of people are coming for the stuff of the rich Middle Eastern folks. Looks like word has spread."
"It wasn’t even a secret…" The Playboy said.
"Of course." Andrew’s voice resonated from behind them. "If it were a secret, how would guys like you manage to hear it? Since you guys could get that news, why can’t the others also?"
The Playboy and Andrew’s relations.h.i.+p had always been poor. Once he saw Andrew, he grew annoyed, and said, "You’re just like a dog, always following behind us. What do you want? To sniff our b.u.t.ts?"
Andrew said, "Don’t just move your mouth, you useless kid. If you’re dissatisfied with me, then try not to let me take any units later."
The Playboy gave him the middle finger. "No, since you only have eyes for trash units, I guess I won’t have to bother."
Before the auction even started, the explosive smell of gunpowder between the two was already strong. "What’s up with those two?" Li Du sneaked the question to Hans.
Hans shrugged, and said, "I’m not too sure. Seems like some personal feelings are involved. I once heard something about the Playboy getting fooled by Andrew, and getting played by some woman?"
"Alright, I can empathize with the Playboy," Li Du said. "What’s there to hesitate about? Deputy Battalion Commander, bring out your Italian cannon!"
"What?" Hans’s face was full of confusion.
"What I mean is, later we’ll help out the Playboy. Let’s mess with Andrew today, how ‘bout that?"
Hans said, "Sure. If we can embarra.s.s him again, we’ll be at the top of our game in Flagstaff. No one will be able to compete with us in terms of fame back there."
The auctioneer arrived. The first unit was unlocked, and he said, "Alright everybody, line up in groups of four, each group has one minute to view. Everyone treasure this opportunity and begin."
Once the doors opened, the treasure hunters at the front immediately gasped in excitement.
"Sh*t, I see the treasure!"
"Look at those covers—I bet, everything under them is carpets! Handwoven, high-quality stuff!"
"Look at those shelves. You see those trays? My G.o.d, they’re gold. Could they be made of real gold?"
"This unit is going to be nuts. This is what we’re here for, right?"
"It’s what everyone’s here for, buddy. It’s gonna be interesting."
Li Du and the Playboy were in the same group. When it was their turn, the Playboy used a flashlight and scanned the place. A smile flashed across his face.
Playboy whispered as he looked. He identified several items in the storage and explained what they were.
"I’ve heard bits and pieces—that there are lots of brand goods here. Look at the dining ware on the shelves, they are all Royal Copenhagen. You can almost consider them national treasures.
"See that saddle? Hermès leather—worth a ton, fellas.
"That oven there isn’t bad either—a Royal Doulton ceramic oven—if it"s new, it could be worth tens of thousands."
That was something Li Du and Hans couldn’t do. They knew that those things were worth a lot, but the specific brands, and other details, they didn’t know. That was the difference between them and a true elite treasure hunter.
Hans was the kind of treasure hunter that knew just about everything, but was an expert on none of it. He was extremely familiar with the geography and culture of Arizona, but didn’t have much knowledge of luxury goods.
Li Du was even more clueless. Before he had entered this trade, he had almost nothing to do with luxury goods.
The Playboy was different. In fact, his expertise was in second-hand luxury goods.
Hans had told Li Du before that many wealthy people, when purchasing luxury goods, would contact the Playboy. They would try to get some advice or info from him.
After viewing the unit, the three gathered together. Hans asked, "How much do you think it’s worth?"
The Playboy said, "A rough estimate: everything could total up and sell for about 200,000 dollars easily."
"Sh*t, that much?!" Hans said in surprise.
"That’s just how it is," the Playboy shrugged. "It’s all luxury goods. Seriously, I really can’t understand who would abandon so much great stuff!"
The other treasure hunters probably could not properly evaluate the price of the unit, but they all knew that it had immense value. After the viewing, most of the people started forming alliances.
The bid would surely be high. If they were alone, they wouldn’t have enough funds.
Once the auction started, the auctioneer capitalized on the opportunity and chirpily started the bidding, "I see all the good stuff here, no doubt about it, right? So, we have to give it a good starting bid, or else we’ll be insulting it…
"Starting bid is 5,000 dollars, and each raise must be at least 1,000—everyone start bidding!"
Andrew eagerly rose his hand, shouting, "10,000 dollars!"
Some of the greenhorns sucked in a breath and exclaimed, "Sh*t!"
That price turned off a number of treasure hunters, as they didn’t even have 10,000 dollars in funds.
Seeing that Andrew had made his move, the Playboy’s eyes turned serious, and he raised his hand to bid.
Li Du held him back, and nodded to Hans.
Hans yelled, "20,000 dollars!"
One of the treasure hunters b.u.t.ted in and shouted, "21,000 dollars!"
"I’ll go 22,000!"
"Twenty-five thousand!"
Andrew coldly scanned the crowd and said in an annoyed tone, "Stop playing house, kiddos—50,000 dollars, let’s go!"
Even more treasure hunters backed out now. However, there were still some standing their ground. Either they were richer, or they had acc.u.mulated enough money in an alliance.
"Fifty-one thousand dollars!" Hans exclaimed.
Immediately, someone raised the bid. "Fifty-three thousand dollars!"
Another person: "I’ll go 54,000 dollars!"
"Sixty thousand dollars!" Andrew shouted.
Hans smiled. He immediately opened his mouth and said, "61,000 dollars!"
Li Du and Playboy high-fived. Hans had done well.