novelA new use for the little bug
| ← Ch.0134 | Ch.0136 → |
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Having failed to get hold of a storage unit two times in a row, especially the second unit, Hans was furious.
While Li Du was indifferent, Anthony and his men were overjoyed. Someone made a phone call and Li Du heard them greet "Boss Lucas."
So he suspected that he had been marked by Lucas and his men. Anthony was the one sent by the Hispanic man to keep tabs on him. Whatever storage unit he was eyeing, they would bid for it.
He tested it with the two storage units after, but there was no result. Anthony kept staring at him, but did not follow to make any bids.
Hans also noticed this, and said, "This fella is not easy to deal with, he is good at analyzing someone's next move through their expressions. It won't be easy to fool him."
Li Du simply said, "Then let's ignore him, we shall continue with our bidding."
At the fifth storage unit, he looked intently at what was inside. He first saw some hunting equipment, but it was a mess. There were harpoons, spray guns, lassos, and some cutting tools.
There were also some animal specimens in the storage unit, including two gazelle specimens, a reindeer head, and some crocodile heads.
The crocodile heads were kept in boxes. Li Du used the little bug to fly in there to take a look; there were twelve ferocious-looking crocodile heads.
Other than the crocodile heads, there was also some well-kept leather. The color of the leather ranged from white to black, and was in pieces; some were coarse while some were smooth. What was in common was the beautiful bamboo grain on them.
Upon seeing this, Li Du's heart fluttered. The bamboo grain on the leather and the crocodile head specimens made Li Du think of crocodile skin; perhaps it was crocodile leather. But this was an assumption. To know for sure, professional knowledge would be required.
A day before, Li Du would not be able to gauge the leather's quality, but now that the little bug had a new ability, this became effortless.
The little bug flew onto a piece of leather. He thought "time reversal, " and a new scene appeared before him.
Seeing it through the little bug's eyes, he saw someone use a knife to kill the crocodile, and then skin it, before it was washed and cut up into pieces.
In a far-away river, someone had held a harpoon, a lasso and a gun for catching of crocodile. The water in the river had been colored red; it was very cruel.
After learning what the leather was, he immediately stopped using this ability.
Time reversal was extremely energy-consuming; he was a bit exhausted after using it for just a few seconds.
Freddy who was standing behind him, started to shout, "Mr. Auctioneer, he broke the rules—he has stood here for more than one minute already!"
The young auctioneer said, "Is that right? Li, buddy, your time is up, please move away."
Li Du had neglected the passing of time, and on hearing the reminder, he nodded and said, "Alright, sorry, I forgot to watch the time."
The young auctioneer smiled, and said in a friendly manner, "Never mind, if you would like to look, just come back later. Just put in some bids for this storage unit, as a favor."
He could already tell that the treasure hunters present trusted Li Du's opinion, and they would bid for the storage units that Li Du eyed.
Auctioneers were dependant on high bids. If the storage units could not fetch high prices, they would not be able to earn much. If bids were like how it was between Li Du and Anthony, then they would make a fortune.
Under such circumstances, the auctioneer would naturally show Li Du some favoritism.
Upon walking away from the storage door, Li Du gave Hans a look."Get this one!"
The treasure hunters finished viewing and the auctioneer said, "Alright, guys, let's start with the pricing. This time let's move quickly, as we do not have much time to waste..."
"Then, this storage unit for five hundred dollars. Five hundred dollars, five hundred dollars, who's willing to take it?"
Five hundred dollars was not considered a high bid. Although the hunting equipment in the storage unit looked broken and not worth much, the antelope and reindeer head specimens had some value and could be sold for one or two thousand dollars in total.
Hans glanced at Anthony and Freddy, and deliberately wore an expression meant to provoke them, saying, "One thousand dollars!"
Freddy pretended that he did not see him, and while Anthony was considering to bid, there was some hesitation in his eyes.
Other treasure hunters were also eying this storage unit, and threw in some bids, "One thousand one hundred dollars!"
"One thousand two hundred dollars, me!"
"I like specimens—one thousand three hundred dollars!"
Hans raised his hand and said, "Two thousand dollars!"
The crowd booed, "Hey buddy, you want to get all the storage units?"
Hans wore a helpless look."Get all? Let me make it clear, my dear, that we have not gotten anything yet!"
Someone laughed, and said, "I also did not get anything. This time I suffer the same fate as the Flagstaff Treasure Hunting Tycoon."
The auctioneer continued to shout out the bids. Hans stole a glance at Anthony, who finally decided to offer a bid: "Two thousand two hundred."
Hans laughed with a devil-may-care attitude, and immediately shouted, "3, 000 dollars!"
Anthony frowned and said, "3, 100 dollars!"
"Four thousand dollars!" Hans said, continuing the bidding without hesitation.
Li Du quietly shook his head and waved his right hand, indicating that he was going to leave.
Anthony was even more hesitant now. After bidding for the last storage unit, he did not have much money left.
He bid for the last storage after quietly observing Li Du and believing that he appeared interested in that unit. That was why he had dared to follow with a bid.
But, this time, he was not so sure. The storage did not seem to be worth 4, 000 dollars. Hans's expression made him think differently, and believe that it could be desirable. When he noticed Li Du's gesture, he was even more unsure.
After some thought, he decided to bow out from the bidding. In fact, Anthony was a very cautious person. He had felt very sure of the storage with the stone sculptures, but he didn't feel that way about this storage unit.
The others also could not see value in this storage unit. After Hans bid 4, 000 dollars, almost everyone else also backed out.
After the auctioneer shouted "four thousand dollars" three times with no one else bidding, he pointed at Hans and said, "Good, buddy, this storage unit is yours. You are a lucky chap!"
The burden in Li Du's heart was lifted. He went to put a lock on the storage unit's doors; the crocodile head specimens and crocodile skins were theirs.
The three storage units after that were not worth much. There was a storage unit with homeware that was not bad. There was a set of oak furniture in there, with only a chair visible. Three other chairs and a table were covered by a piece of tarpaulin.
Oak furniture was popular in America because it was a hardy wood. It could resist water and also knots. He saw on the Internet that such a set of oak furniture could sell for four to five thousand dollars.
After reaching the price of 1, 000 dollars, no one else was bidding. He added 100 dollars and bought it for 1, 100 dollars.
He did not bid for the other two storage units. Freddy, who was filled with animosity toward them, did not bid for anything in the end. Hans thought that this was strange. Puzzled, he asked, "Was this guy really a mad dog? I thought he would go after our targets today."
Li Du said, "Ignore him. Let's just pack up our storage units. I have a feeling that we are going to have a huge harvest."
Hans got excited upon hearing this, and went to make payment in high spirits while Godzilla got ready to start working.
| ← Ch. 0134 | Ch. 0136 → |